NORTH  CAROLINA  GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  SURVEY 

JOSEPH  HYDE  PRATT.  State  Geologist 


ECONOMIC  PAPER  No.  25 


PROCEEDINGS 

OF 

SECOND  ANNUAL  CONVENTION 

OF  THE 

NORTH  CAROLINA  FORESTRY  ASSOCIATION 

HELD   AT 

RALEIGH,  NORTH  CAROLINA 

February  21,  1912 

COMPILED   BY 

J.  S.  HOLMES,  Forester 


FOREST  FIRES  IN  NORTH  CAROLINA 
DURING  1911 

By  J.  S.  HOLMES 


SUGGESTED  FORESTRY  LEGISLATION 


RALEIGH 
EDWARDS  &  BROUGHTON  PRINTING  CO. 

1912 


®hp  i.  1.  Hill  ICtbrary 

North  (Harolina  ^tatp  ^mtipraitij 


NRRC 

SDlkk 

N8 

1912 


OREST  RE^'^' 


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NORTH  CAROLINA  GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMICiSURVEY 

JOSEPH  HYDE  PRATT,  State  Geologist 


ECONOMIC  PAPER  No.  25 

PROCEEDINGS 

OF 

SECOND  ANNUAL  CONVENTION 

OF   THE 

NORTH  CAROLINA  FORESTRY  ASSOCIATION 


HELD    AT 


RALEIGH,  NORTH  CAROLINA 

February  21,  1912 


COMPILED    BY 

J.  S.  HOLMES,  Forest; 


FOREST  FIRES  IN  NORTH  CAROLINA 
DURING  1911 

By  J.  S.  HOLMES 


SUGGESTED  FORESTRY  LEGISLATION 


RALEIGH 

EDWARDS  &  BROUGHTON  PRINTING  CO. 

1912 


GEOLOGICAL  BOARD 


Governor  W.  W.  Kitchin,  ex  officio  Chairman Raleigh. 

Prank  R.  Hewitt Asheville. 

Hugh  MacRae Wilmington. 

R.  D.  Caldwell Lumberton. 

M.  R.  Braswell. Rocky  Mount. 


Joseph  Hyde  Pratt,  State  Geologist Chapel  Hill. 


LETTER  OF  TRANSMITTAL 


Chapel  Hill,  N".  C,  May  1,  1912. 
To  His  Excellency,  Hon.  W.  W.  Kitchin, 

Governor  of  North  Carolina. 

Sir  : — A  great  gain  lias  been  made  during  the  past  year  in  forestry 
work  in  North  Carolina  by  the  organization  of  the  JSTorth  Carolina 
Forestry  Association.  As  the  North  Carolina  Geological  and  Economic 
Survey  was  instrumental  in  organizing  this  Association  and  as  the  Asso- 
ciation is  working  in  very  close  cooperation  with  the  Survey,  the  proceed- 
ings of  the  Association  are  in  part  the  record  of  forestry  work  of  the 
Survey.  For  this  reason  I  recommend  that  the  proceedings  of  the  annual 
convention  of  the  North  Carolina  Forestry  Association,  which  was  held 
at  Raleigh,  February  21,  1912,  be  published  as  Economic  Paper  No.  25 
of  the  publications  of  the  North  Carolina  Geological  and  Economic 
Survey.  I  am  including  in  this  same  Economic  Paper  a  report  on  the 
Forest  Fires  in  North  Carolina  During  1911,  and  also  some  Suggested 
Forestry  Legislation  for  North  Carolina. 

Yours  respectfully, 

Joseph  Hyde  Pratt, 

State  Geologist. 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

Proceedings  of  the  Convention 5 

Morning  Session  5 

Address  of  Welcome,  by  Gov.  "W.  W.  Kitchin 5 

President's  Annual  Address:     What  Can  We  Do  to  Prevent  Forest 

Waste?  by  Dr.  D.  H.  Hill 6 

Secretary's  Report,  by  J.  S.  Holmes 9 

The   Chestnut   Bark   Disease  Which   Threatens   North   Carolina, 

by  J.  S.  Holmes 13 

The  Southern  Pine  Beetle  and  Its  Control,  by  E.  B.  Mason 15 

Enforcing  the  Present  Forest  Fire  Laws,  by  James  R.  Young 18 

Forestry  Work  of  the  North  Carolina  Geological  and  Economic 

Survey,  by  Joseph  Hyde  Pratt 22 

Appointment  of  Committees  25 

Afternoon  Session  26 

Cooperative   Fire   Protection   Under   the   Weeks   Law,    by   J.    G. 

Peters,  U.  S.  Forest  Service 27 

Forest  Protection  as  Applied  to  Maryland  Under  the  Weeks  Law, 

by  P.  W.  Besley 32 

The  Stock  Law  and  Forest  Protection,  by  Hugh  MacRae 34 

Report  of  Committee  on  Resolutions 38 

Report  of  Committee  on  Nominations 41 

Constitution  of  the  North  Carolina  Forestry  Association 41 

Evening  Session   44 

General  Principles  of  Forestry,  by  J.  G.  Peters 44 

Extracts  from  Letters  Relating  to  Forestry 46 

Forest  Fires  in  North  Carolina  During  1911,  by  J.  S.  Holmes,  Forester. . .   51 

Introduction   51 

The  Weather  51 

Tabular  Statement  52 

Causes  of  Forest  Fires 59 

Suggested  Forestry  Legislation  for  North  Carolina 61 

Present  Laws  Relating  to  Forestry 61 

Suggested  Legislation  Relating  to  Forestry 62 

List  of  Publications  67 


PROCEEDINGS  OF  THE  SECOND  ANNUAL  CONVENTION 


North  Carolina  Forestry  Association 

HELD    IN 

Raleigh,   N.   C,  Wednesday,  February  21,   1912 


PROCEEDINGS  OF  THE  CONVENTION 

Morning  Session. 

The  Convention  was  called  to  order  in  the  Hall  of  the  House  of  Rep- 
resentatives at  10 :45  a.  m.,  by  the  President,  Dr.  D.  H.  Hill.  After  the 
opening  prayer,  which  was  offered  by  the  Reverend  A.  D.  Wilcox,  of  the 
Central  Methodist  Church,  President  Hill  introduced  Governor  "W.  W. 
Kitchin,  who  welcomed  the  delegates  and  visitors  to  Raleigh  and  to  the 
Convention.    The  Governor's  address  was  in  part  as  follows : 

ADDRESS  OF  WELCOME  BY  GOVERNOR  W.  W.  KITCHIJf. 

While  not  congratulating  you  on  the  vast  numbers  present,  I  am  glad  to 
see  so  many  here,  representing  such  a  varied  citizenship.  The  accomplish- 
ment of  your  purpose  does  not  depend  on  numbers,  but  on  the  enthusiasm 
and  interest  of  those  present  and  upon  the  literature  which  will  go  out  from 
this  meeting  and  this  Association,  and  which  will  no  doubt  be  read  by 
thousands. 

I  am  very  much  interested  in  the  question  of  forest  protection,  but  I  real- 
ize that  it  is  hard  to  get  many  people  interested  who  have  small  forest  hold- 
ings. This  Association  gives  the  opportunity  to  all  citizens  to  join  in  the 
forestry  movement.     The  net  results  will  be  beyond  calculation. 

If  there  is  any  land  blessed  by  nature  more  than  another,  it  is  the  Coastal 
Plain  region  of  North  Carolina.  People  wonder  why  longleaf  pine  will  not 
reproduce  itself  on  the  cut-over  forest  lands  of  this  region  as  the  old  field 
pine  does.  There  is  just  one  reason,  and  that  is  the  hog.  Hogs  dig  down 
in  the  loose,  sandy  soil  and  devour  the  succulent  roots  of  the  longleaf  pine, 
whereas  the  roots  of  the  shortleaf  pine,  being  smaller  and  fibrous,  escape 
destruction.  In  counties  where  hogs  are  kept  from  the  forest  you  find  young 
longleaf  pines,  showing  that  these  pines  under  favorable  conditions  will 
reproduce  themselves  as  well  as  the  old  field  pine.  I  am  not  advocating  a 
hog  or  stock  law,  as  this  is  a  local  question  for  each  community  to  solve. 
I  am  not  in  favor  of  killing  all  the  hogs,  either. 

In  the  mountains  of  this  State,  where  the  forests  are  chiefly  hardwoods, 
the  underbrush  and  young  growth,  if  allowed  to  grow  up,  will  prevent  floods 
and  washing  of  the  land  as  effectively  as  the  old  uncut  forests. 

This  question  of  forestry  must  be  brought  home  to  the  average  man.  Large 
holders  are,  of  course,  intensely  interested;   but  the  average  man  of  North 


b  SECO]NrD    ANNUAL    CONVENTION 

Carolina  has  not  the  habit  of  saving;  and  the  owners  of  the  small  forests 
ordinarily  do  not  look  far  enough  into  the  future  to  properly  preserve  their 
forests. 

The  forests  of  Germany  and  France  and  other  European  countries  pay 
handsome  incomes  to  the  owners,  whether  state,  municipal,  or  private,  and 
the  same  conditions  will  prevail  in  this  country.  A  Maine  timberland  owner 
told  me  a  short  time  ago  that  he  was  cutting  his  timber  under  the  direction 
of  a  trained  forester,  that  he  was  cutting  a  large  amount  each  year,  but  in 
spite  of  this  the  value  of  the  land  was  steadily  going  up  and  the  yield  in- 
creasing. 

I  am  in  hearty  sympathy  with  this  work.  We  must  not  expect  perfect  laws 
all  at  once,  but  let  us  get  a  start  and  soon  we  will  have  an  educated  people 
who  will  adopt  improved  forestry  methods.  The  earth  was  given  not  to  one 
generation,  but  to  all  generations,  and  no  man  should  think  he  has  a  right 
to  destroy  all  the  forests  from  the  land  in  this  generation,  and  then  leave 
the  next  without  timber,  when  by  proper  methods  all  generations  can  enjoy 
profits  from  the  forests.  A  man  has  only  temporary  control  of  land;  when 
he  dies  he  leaves  it  to  some  other  one.  Because  of  this  temporary  owner- 
ship, because  this  land  is  being  held  in  trust  for  generations  to  come,  we 
have  no  right  to  destroy  its  future  value  and  usefulness,  whether  it  is  farm 
land  or  forest  land. 

I  gladly  welcome  you,  and  trust  your  deliberations  will  be  productive  of 
great  good. 

The  President,  Dr.  D.  H.  Hill,  made  a  short  reply  to  the  Governor's 
address  of  welcome  and  then  delivered  his  annual  address,  in  which  he 
outlined  the  objects  of  the  Association  and  strongly  urged  a  campaign  of 
publicity,  both  through  the  local  papers  of  the  State  and  by  meetings 
gotten  up  by  the  various  officials  and  members  of  the  Association. 

T^HAT  CA?f  WE  DO  TO  PREVENT  FOREST  WASTE? 

By  D.  H.  Hill,  President  North  Carolina  College  of  AcRicvLTrRE  and 
Mechanic  Arts. 

Nations,  like  individuals  and  like  corporations,  have  three  ways  of  adding 
to  their  wealth: 

First,  by  making  m.ore  saleable  products  and  making  them  at  reduced  cost 
and  marketing  them  to  better  advantage. 

Second,  by  utilizing  hitherto  waste  products. 

Third,  by  a  wise  management  of  the  resources  with  which  nature  has 
endowed  them. 

In  our  country  many  forces  are  at  work  to  increase  the  national  output  at 
lowered  cost.  Especially  is  this  true  of  farm  products.  The  agricultural 
colleges  and  experiment  stations,  the  national  and  State  departments  of  agri- 
culture, the  farm  papers,  and  farmers'  organizations,  like  the  Farmers'  Union 
and  Soil  Fertility  Leagues,  are  bending  every  effort  to  make  the  soil  reward 
man's  industry  by  a  richer  return  and  to  reduce  both  the  money  and  the 
labor  cost.  Technical  schools,  too,  are  sending  forth  equipped  engineers,  in- 
dustrial clubs  are  standardizing  manufacturing  plants,  and   in  many   cases 


NORTH  CAROLINA  FORESTRY  ASSOCIATION  Y 

cooperation  between  owners  and  employees  is  lowering  the  cost  of  all  kinds 
of  wares.  Marketing  is  also  being  more  closely  studied  than  before  in  our 
country,  and  cooperative  marketing  is  succeeding  in  many  localities. 

All  the  batteries  of  science  are  being  turned  against  waste  in  manufacture. 
The  millions  of  dollars  made  each  year  in  Germany  since  their  skilled  and 
enterprising  chemists  turned  coal  tar  waste  into  dyes  for  the  world  is  a  sig- 
nal example.  The  woodworks  now  find  utilization  for  almost  every  scrap. 
Pine  stumps  are  changing  into  turpentine  bottles.  Corn  stalks  serve  multi- 
farious purposes,  and  on  every  hand  there  is  war  waged  against  loss  of  by- 
products. 

In  the  third  case,  namely,  waste  in  natural  products,  the  crusade  is  only 
fairly  beginning.  Taking  men  as  the  highest  natural  product,  there  is  the 
war  against  the  waste  from  preventable  diseases  like  smallpox,  consumption, 
hookworm,  yellow  fever,  cholera,  etc.  This  war,  which  is  both  humanitarian 
and  economic,  is  enlisting  more  volunteers  each  year.  Then  veterinary 
science  is  striving  for  preventives  against  sick  waste  in  the  lower  animals. 
The  apparent  success  of  cholera  serum,  the  assured  possibility  of  the  eradi- 
cation of  cattle  ticks,  the  tuberculin  tests  for  cattle — these  are  evidences  of 
practical  activity  in  directions  needed.  The  entomologists  and  the  biologists 
are  moving  mightily  to  prevent  sick  waste  in  trees  and  crops.  In  mining 
natural  products  strides  towards  saving  ores  have  been  made.  In  the  Kim- 
berly  diamond  mines,  for  example,  waste  has  been  reduced  to  a  negligible 
quantity.  However,  in  the  great  question  we  are  considering  today,  forestry, 
waste  still  looms  prodigiously. 

As  all  the  speakers  today  want  to  be  heard,  not  for  much  speaking,  but  for 
brief  speaking,  I  want  to  present  this  thought:  What  can  our  Association  do 
to  prevent  forestry  waste? 

First,  we  can  try  to  change  the  American's  attitude  towards  a  tree.  This 
is  a  hard  task,  but  only  hard  tasks  are  entertaining.  Of  course  we  all  recall 
the  attitude  of  our  early  settlers  toward  the  tree  and  remember  the  reason 
for  that  position.  To  them  the  trees  were  a  twofold  evil.  They,  in  the  first 
place,  furnished  a  lurking  place  for  their  enemies — Indians  and  wild  ani- 
mals— and  in  the  second  place  they  kept  the  industrious  ploughman  from 
making  a  crop  or  even  a  road.  Hence  a  tree,  like  an  ugly  woman  or  a 
peevish  man,  had  few  friends.  The  slogan  of  these  settlers  was,  not  "Swat 
the  fly";  it  was,  "Swat  the  tree."  Then  as  population  increased,  lumber  of 
course  became  valuable  and  there  was  new  reason  for  swatting  the  tree. 
Unfortunately,  therefore,  our  attitude  towards  the  tree  became  fixed  and 
we  are  still  swatting  alike  the  giant  oak  and  the  pickaninny  pine  sapling. 

We  must  needs  try  to  unfix  this  attitude  and  create  a  new  slogan,  "Save 
the  tree."  Save  it,  first,  for  its  economic  value;  save  it,  second,  for  its 
salutary  influence  in  conserving  rainfall,  and  preventing  erosion;  save  it, 
third,  for  its  perennial  beauty.  We  can  aid  in  teaching  in  our  homes,  in 
our  schools,  in  our  colleges  that  our  forests  are  too  imperial  a  resource  to  be 
ruthlessly  squandered.  We  can  help  in  raising  up  wardens  to  protect  them 
and  foresters  to  reproduce  them. 

Second,  we  can  aid  in  the  passage  of  a  national  law  to  prevent  the  importa- 
tion of  insect-infested  and  diseased  plants.  We  have  the  unenviable  status  of 
being  the  only  great  nation  that  has  no  quarantine  regulations  against  the 
importation  of  diseased  plants.     So  careless  are  we  in  respect  to  diseased 


8  SECOND   ANNUAL    CONVENTION 

plant  stock  that  France,  Germany,  Switzerland,  Holland,  Austria-Hungary, 
and  Turkey  absolutely  prohibit  the  entry  into  their  borders  of  American 
nursery  stock.  If  we  may  believe  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Entomology, 
"A  properly  enforced  quarantine  inspection  law  in  the  past  would  have  ex- 
cluded manj%  if  not  most,  of  the  foreign  insect  enemies  which  are  now  levy- 
ing an  enormous  annual  tax  on  the  products  of  the  farms  and  orchards  and 
forests  of  our  country."  According  to  Marlatt  fully  fifty  per  cent  of  the 
important  injurious  pests  in  this  country  are  of  foreign  origin  and  have  been 
imported  into  the  United  States  through  what  it  would  be  hardly  too  strong 
to  condemn  as  indifferent  stupidity.  Among  these  pests  are  the  codling  moth, 
so  destructive  to  our  apple  trees,  the  Hessian  fly,  the  asparagus  beetle,  the 
hop  plant  louse,  the  cabbage  worm,  the  wheat  plant  louse,  the  croton  bug, 
the  Angoumois  grain  moth,  the  horn  fly  of  cattle,  the  boll  weevil,  the  San  Jose 
scale,  the  gypsy  and  brown  tail  moths  that  are  destroying  New  England's 
forests,  the  Argentine  ant  in  New  Orleans,  and  the  alfalfa  leaf  weevil  in  Utah. 

Failure  to  prevent  the  importation  of  these  pests  costs  almost  untold  sums 
in  trying  to  control  the  diseases  occasioned  by  them.  It  is  estimated,  again 
using  the  reports  of  the  Bureau  of  Entomology,  that  the  cost  of  spraying 
apple  trees  to  prevent  the  codling  moth  is  sixteen  million  dollars  a  year; 
the  San  Jose  scale  costs  about  ten  millions  a  year  in  prevention  alone.  The 
New  England  States  are  now  appropriating  upwards  of  a  million  dollars  a 
year  to  save  their  trees  from  the  gypsy  and  brown  tail  moths. 

In  the  third  place,  we  can  help  by  urging  a  State  law  to  prevent  the 
wasting  of  our  forests  by  fire.  It  is  certainly  time  that  fire  ceased  to  be  the 
lazy  man's  lawn  mower,  the  'possum  hunter's  plaything,  and  the  rabbit 
chaser's  method  of  driving  his  game.  We  punish  a  man  who  destroys  by 
fire  our  wealth  in  houses,  barns,  hay  ricks  or  cattle,  but  we  deem  it  a  venial 
matter  for  a  man  to  destroy  our  wealth  in  trees  and  plants.  With  absolute 
impunity  a  man  may  carelessly  start  and  leave  a  fire  that  will  rage  for  days 
and  do  damage  almost  beyond  belief.  If  our  Association  could  do  no  other 
thing  than  secure  an  acceptable  law  to  prevent  this  destruction,  it  would 
certainly  have  justified  its  existence. 

In  the  fourth  place,  let  us  remember  that  as  a  people,  the  newspaper  is 
largely  educating  us;  let  us  go  to  the  papers.  We  can  start  a  forest  preserva- 
tion publicity  campaign  by  writing  short  articles  for  our  local  papers  or  by 
getting  these  papers  to  copy  valuable  articles  from  technical  journals  or 
bulletins.  We  must  do  this  persistently  and  systematically.  As  soon  as 
people  thoroughly  understand  the  waste  now  going  on,  understand  how  easily 
this  could  be  remedied,  understand  how  easily  a  forest  can  be  reset  to  trees, 
understand  what  an  increment  in  wealth  such  resetting  would  be,  these 
things  will  all  be  done.  The  thing  needed  now  is  to  get  these  facts  into  the 
minds  of  tenants,  landowners,  lumbermen,  sawmill  men,  and  all  others  who 
deal  directly  or  indirectly  with  trees.  Whenever  a  forest  fire  occurs  in  the 
neighborhood  of  one  of  our  members,  let  that  member  get  an  accurate  esti- 
mate of  the  loss  caused  by  the  fire  and  publish  it  in  every  paper  in  the 
county..    If  the  figures  are  accurate,  comment  will  be  unnecessary. 

These,  then,  are  some  of  the  things  that  our  infant  organization  can  at- 
tempt.    If  we  give  time  and  thought  to  these  ends,  we  shall  accomplish  much. 


NORTH  CAROLINA  FORESTRY  ASSOCIATION  » 

The  reading  of  the  minutes  of  the  last  meeting  was  dispensed  with, 
and  the  Secretary  then  read  his  annual  report,  which  follows : 

SECRETARY'S  REPORT 

By  J.  S.  Holmes,  Forester,  North  Carolina  Geological  and 

Economic  Survey. 

Since  the  organization  of  the  North  Carolina  Forestry  Association  a  year 

ago,  much  has  been  done  by  it  to  lay  a  foundation  on  which  can  be  built  a 

more  general  and  intelligent  appreciation  of  North  Carolina's  forest  wealth 

and  of  the  necessity  for  protecting  it. 

A  large  amount  of  correspondence  has  been  carried  on  in  the  effort  to 
secure  a  vice-president  in  every  Senatorial  District  of  the  State.  This 
finally  resulted  in  the  acceptance  of  this  position  by  prominent  men  in 
thirty-four  out  of  the  thirty-nine  districts.  The  other  five  districts  have  so 
far  no  representatives  in  our  Association,  but  suitable  men  will  be  selected 
as  soon  as  possible. 

A  meeting  of  the  Executive  Committee  was  called  for  September  21st  last, 
the  vice-presidents  also  being  invited  to  attend.  At  this  meeting  a  constitu- 
tion, which  will  be  submitted  to  this  meeting  for  final  adoption,  was  approved. 
The  work  of  the  Association  for  the  winter  was  discussed,  and  two  or  three 
special  lines  of  work  were  decided  upon.  Realizing  the  value  of  information 
in  regard  to  the  number  of  forest  fires  occurring  in  the  State  and  the  annual 
damage  done  by  them,  it  was  determined  that  this  Association  cooperate 
with  the  North  Carolina  Geological  and  Economic  Survey  in  the  collection  of 
these  figures  in  order  if  possible  to  increase  their  scope  and  reliability.  In 
conformity  with  this  decision,  your  Secretary  sent  out  a  request  to  all  the 
vice-presidents,  asking  them  to  submit  a  list  of  men,  one  or  more  from  each 
township  in  the  several  counties  of  their  districts,  who  would  be  likely  to 
answer  questions  about  the  damage  done  by  forest  fires  during  the  past  year. 
Preparing  such  a  list  means  considerable  work,  but  nine  of  the  vice- 
presidents  submitted  lists  covering  twenty-four  counties.  Questions  were 
subsequently  sent  one  man  in  each  township  on  these  lists,  and  the  full 
returns  from  these  counties  seem  to  thoroughly  justify  this  work.  I  hope 
that  another  year  a  similar  list  can  be  had  from  every  district  in  the  State.* 
As  one  of  the  objects  of  this  Association  is  to  promote  the  protection  of 
the  forests  of  the  State  from  destructive  insects,  at  the  suggestion  of  the 
Association,  two  of  its  vice-presidents  called  meetings  in  their  own  districts 
last  fall  for  the  purpose  of  inaugurating  a  campaign  to  control  the  ravages 
of  the  Southern  pine  beetle,  which  have  been  so  destructive  to  the  second 
growth  pine  forests  of  the  southern  Piedmont  counties.  The  vice-president 
of  the  Twenty-fifth  District,  Mr.  W.  S.  Lee,  called  a  meeting  to  be  held  in 
Charlotte  on  November  25th  last.  This  resulted  in  the  organization  of  the 
Mecklenburg  Pine  Beetle  Association,  which  I  understand  has  been  doing 
splendid  work  during  the  present  winter  in  the  control  of  this  insect.  Mr. 
A.  C.  Stroup,  vice-president  of  the  Thirty-second  District,  called  a  meeting 
for  December  the  5th  in  Gastonia,  and  this  meeting  organized  itself  into  the 
Gaston  Forestry  Association,  the  primary  object  of  which  was  to  stop  the 


♦The  report  on  Forest  Fires  in  North  Carolina  during  1911  is  published  as  a  second  part  of  this 
Economic  Paper. 


10  SECOND    ANNUAL    CONVENTION 

ravages  of  the  pine  beetle  in  that  county,  but  the  association  intends  also 
to  support  other  forestry  measures  which  will  be  of  benefit  to  the  county. 
Whether  these  two  associations  are  in  direct  affiliation  with  our  State  Asso- 
ciation or  not,  we  will  take  pride  in  cooperating  with  them  in  every  way 
possible  and  will  look  upon  them  as  our  own  children.  I  sincerely  trust  that 
the  representatives  from  these  two  counties  who  may  be  with  us,  will  give 
this  meeting  some  idea  of  this  work  which  is  being  carried  on  in  them. 

Of  course,  all  this  work  could  not  have  been  carried  on  without  the  thor- 
ough support  and  cooperation  of  the  North  Carolina  Geological  and  Economic 
Survey.  The  Survey  looks  upon  this  as  the  work  for  which  it  was  organized 
and  created  by  the  Legislature,  and  so  is  very  glad  indeed  to  cooperate  with 
the  Forestry  Association  in  every  way  that  it  can. 

And  here  let  me  express  the  sincere  thanks  of  the  Secretary  and  of  the 
Executive  Committee  to  those  vice-presidents  who  have  cooperated  so  cheer- 
fully and  heartily  in  the  duties  that  have  been  demanded  of  them.  If  the 
Association  had  a  vice-president  in  every  district  who  did  as  much  as  those 
who  are  taking  a  real  interest  in  the  work,  the  Association  could  make  itself 
felt  in  a  very  short  time  in  every  corner  of  the  State,  and  the  object  of  this 
meeting,  which  is  to  arouse  the  people  to  the  necessity  of  electing  Representa- 
tives in  our  next  General  Assembly  who  will  be  interested  in  the  matter  of 
forest  protection,  could  be  attained. 

I  do  not  know  whether  or  not  it  comes  within  the  scope  of  a  Secretary's 
report  to  call  the  attention  of  this  meeting  to  certain  pressing  questions 
which  the  Association  might  take  up  in  the  near  future,  but,  with  the  per- 
mission of  the  President,  I  am  going  to  briefly  outline  a  few  ideas  which  I 
hope  will  be  discussed  at  this  meeting  and  some  definite  action  taken.  At 
the  last  meeting  of  the  Association  the  principal  topic  of  discussion  was  a 
proposed  forestry  law  which  had  then  been  introduced  before  the  General 
Assembly.  This  law  was  considerably  changed  by  the  committee  appointed 
by  this  Association  to  draft  a  law,  and  was  subsequently  modified  so  that  its 
passage  at  the  last  session  of  the  Legislature  might,  if  possible,  be  secured. 
Unfortunately,  neither  this  bill  nor  any  other  general  forestry  bill  was  ■ 
passed.  The  Association  should  bend  every  effort  the  coming  year  to  impress 
upon  the  people  and  upon  the  candidates  for  the  Legislature  the  pressing 
importance  of  passing  some  good  forestry  law  during  the  next  session  of 
the  Legislature.  Our  President  has  just  outlined  a  plan  of  campaign  looking 
to  this  end. 

Forest  Protective  Associations  furnish  a  plan  for  the  protection  of  the 
forests  from  fire  which  can  be  operated  by  the  owners  themselves  until  the 
State  assumes  this  duty.  Such  associations  seem  to  me  especially  suited  to 
certain  areas  of  our  mountain  forests.  Effective  Forest  Protective  Associa- 
tions have  been  organized  in  some  of  the  Northwestern  and  Northern  States, 
and  Mr.  W.  B.  Greeley,  Assistant  Forester  of  the  United  States,  in  an  address 
to  the  Hardwood  Manufacturers'  Association,  recently  strongly  recommended 
them  as  one  of  the  best  means  of  protecting  mountain  forests.  In  this  con- 
nection Mr.  Greeley  says: 

"Aside  from  action  by  the  State  governments,  however,  coats  must  be 
taken  off  and  good  gray  matter  expended  in  hard  work  on  the  protection  of 
the  individual  timbered  property.  In  this  work,  the  experience  of  some  of 
the   Northern    and   Western   timber  owners   as  to   the  value   of  cooperation 


NORTH  CAROLINA  FORESTRY  ASSOCIATION  11 

should  be  of  real  value.  One  of  the  hardest  problems  confronted  in  protect- 
ing the  individual  tract  of  timber  is  the  excessive  cost  per  acre  when  this 
work  is  attempted  on  a  small  scale  by  each  owner  acting  independently.  In 
certain  of  the  Northwestern  States  with  which  I  am  familiar,  this  phase  of 
the  question  has  been  very  effectively  met  by  the  consolidation  of  interests 
for  the  purposes  of  fire  protection.  This  is  done  through  the  organization 
of  timber  protective  associations  which  handle  the  work  of  fire  patrol,  con- 
struction of  telephone  lines  and  other  necessary  improvements,  and  the  actual 
fighting  of  fire,  jointly  for  all  their  members.  Some  of  these  associations, 
representing  from  200.000  to  300,000  acres,  headed  by  an  executive  committee 
and  chief  warden  and  meeting  expenses  by  a  pro  rata  assessment  per  acre, 
have  developed  the  most  efficient  protection  of  timberland  on  a  larger  scale 
than  any  I  have  seen  in  any  portion  of  the  country,  under  any  organization, 
public  or  private.  Large  areas  of  coniferous  timber  in  the  Northwest,  where 
the  character  of  the  forest  and  the  unfailing  annual  drought  make  the  fire 
risk  far  greater  than  in  the  hardwood  belt,  are  now  being  protected  efficiently 
through  such  agencies  at  a  cost  in  ordinary  seasons  of  two  or  three  cents 
an  acre.  It  is  my  judgment  that  you  will  find  the  solution  of  your  protection 
problem  in  this  principle  of  cooperation  with  your  neighbor  and  the  pooling 
of  common  interests  for  this  specific  purpose." 

I  would  like  to  call  the  attention  of  those  who  are  personally  interested  in 
fire  protection  to  the  whole  of  Mr.  Greeley's  speech,  which  advocates  fire  pro- 
tection as  the  most  practical  and  most  pressing  need  of  timberland  owners 
at  the  present  time.  It  seems  to  me  to  point  very  clearly  to  the  fact  that 
even  private  or  cooperative  fire  protection  is  profitable,  and  the  matter  is 
certainly  worthy  of  careful  consideration.  If  this  Association  could  engineer 
the  organization  of  such  a  protective  association  in  western  North  Carolina, 
its  existence  would  be  amply  justified  though  it  did  nothing  else. 

During  the  last  session  of  the  General  Assembly,  Governor  Kitchin  sent  a 
special  message  to  the  Legislature,  calling  the  attention  of  the  representatives 
to  the  second  section  of  the  Weeks  bill,  just  then  passed  by  Congress  and 
signed  by  the  President.  This  section  promised  any  State  which  should  have 
a  definite  appropriation  and  a  State  system  of  fire  protection,  financial  aid 
and  assistance  up  to  the  amount  of  money  appropriated  by  such  State.  It 
was  the  hope  of  the  Governor  that  the  North  Carolina  Legislature  would  pass 
such  a  law  as  would  enable  us  to  take  advantage  of  this  cooperative  offer  of 
the  Federal  Government.  We  have  with  us  today  Mr.  J.  G.  Peters,  of  the 
United  States  Forest  Service,  who  is  in  charge  of  the  cooperative  work  of 
the  Government  under  this  bill,  and  he  will  explain  this  plan,  which  is  now 
in  operation  in  six  or  eight  different  States.  After  we  have  heard  Mr.  Peters, 
I  think  this  Association  should  take  some  steps  to  endorse  the  work  of  the 
Government  and  try  to  get  the  State  to  take  steps  to  secure  its  share  of  the 
appropriation  and  take  advantage  of  this  offer  of  assistance. 

I  have  already  outlined  what  has  been  done  by  the  Association  in  the 
attempted  control  of  the  Southern  pine  beetle,  but  I  want  to  add  a  word  as 
to  the  future  work  along  these  lines.  Reports  from  Cleveland  and  Union 
counties  indicate  that  the  pine  beetle  is  as  destructive  in  those  counties  as 
in  Gaston  and  Mecklenburg,  and  I  trust  that  local  associations  may  be  formed 
in  these  counties  also  for  the  organization  of  control  work. 

The  question  of  forestry  education  in  the  colleges  and  schools  of  the  State 


12  SECOND   ANNUAL   CONVENTION 

is  of  very  pressing  importance,  and  I  think  the  Association  should  endeavor 
to  have  this  phase  of  education  introduced  and  extended.  I  understand  from 
our  President  that  elementary  forestry  is  being  taught  in  the  College  of 
Agriculture  and  Mechanic  Arts  in  Raleigh;  with  this  exception,  there  is,  so 
far  as  I  am  aware,  no  forestry  education  carried  on  in  the  State.  The  trus- 
tees of  the  State  University  have,  I  believe,  decided  to  have  some  kind  of 
instruction  along  these  lines  introduced  into  that  institution  as  soon  as  suffi- 
cient funds  may  be  provided  by  the  Legislature.  The  women's  clubs  have 
had  much  influence  in  starting  this  phase  of  education,  and  I  would  respect- 
fully suggest  that  they  take  up  the  matter  of  introducing  forestry  into  the 
public  schools  and  make  it  their  chief  forestry  work  for  the  ensuing  year. 
I  think  the  women  of  the  State  are  probably  more  interested  in  the  educa- 
tion of  the  children  than  they  are  in  the  passage  of  certain  laws  which  the 
men  are  working  for,  and  such  a  division  of  labor  among  the  members  and 
supporters  of  this  Association  might  accomplish  large  results. 

There  is  another  way  in  which  the  women  of  the  State  can  assist  very 
materially  in  the  movement  to  formulate  a  settled  and  permanent  forest 
policy  for  North  Carolina,  and  that  is  by  securing  the  universal  observance 
of  Arbor  Day.  An  Arbor  Day  was  first  advocated  by  the  Honorable  Sterling 
Morton  over  thirty  years  ago,  and  his  own  State  of  Nebraska  was  the  first  to 
adopt  it.  Since  that  time  the  observance  of  Arbor  Day  has  become  more  or 
less  general  throughout  the  country;  nevertheless,  while  Arbor  Day  exercises 
have  been  held  sporadically  in  some  of  the  schools  of  this  State  for  a  number 
of  years,  so  far  the  efforts  to  make  this  a  State  custom  have  failed.  Two 
or  three  years  ago  an  Arbor  Day  Bulletin  was  prepared,  to  be  published  by 
the  State  Board  of  Education,  but  neither  it  nor  the  State  Geological  and 
Economic  Survey,  which  prepared  the  bulletin,  has  received  enough  encour- 
agement from  the  people  of  the  State  to  justify  them  in  publishing  it.  If  all 
the  school  children  of  the  State  could  take  part  once  a  year  in  some  Arbor 
Day  exercises,  they  might  imbibe  a  certain  knowledge  of  the  value  of  our 
trees,  both  commercial  and  aesthetic,  which  would  lead  them  to  further  study 
of  the  question  and  train  them  to  look  upon  the  forests  as  something  to  value 
and  conserve,  rather  than  to  abuse  and  destroy,  as,  unfortunately,  their 
fathers  had  been  taught  to  regard  them.  I  have  no  doubt  that  the  women's 
clubs  in  the  different  towns  could  induce  at  least  a  local  observance  of  Arbor 
Day,  as  they  are  doing  this  year  in  my  own  town,  and,  in  so  doing  they  would 
very  soon  pave  the  way  for  State  observance  of  this  day. 

My  final  suggestion  for  work  for  the  Association  is  concerned  with  a  new 
and  very  pressing  duty  which  devolves  upon  all  North  Carolinians  who  are 
in  any  way  interested  in  the  forests  of  the  State,  namely,  the  laying  of  thor- 
ough plans  for  immediate  and  vigorous  attack  upon  the  chestnut  bark  dis- 
ease as  soon  as  it  invades  this  State.  I  had  invited  Dr.  Haven  Metcalf,  the 
Chief  Pathologist  of  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Plant  Industry,  to  attend 
this  meeting  and  lay  the  matter  before  you.  But,  owing  to  a  previous  and 
more  important  engagement  for  all  members  of  his  staff  engaged  in  this  work, 
neither  he  nor  any  of  his  assistants  were  able  to  attend,  so  that  I  am  going 
to  take  it  upon  myself  to  outline  in  a  short  paper  the  nature  of  this  menace 
and  suggest  action  that  may  be  taken  by  this  Association  to  provide  against 
it.  Suffice  it  to  say  here  that  when  the  time  comes,  prompt  and  effective 
action  must  be  taken,  and  this  Association  should  lay  its  plans  so  that  it  will 
know  exactly  what  to  do  and  how  to  do  it. 


NORTH  CAROLINA  FORESTRY  ASSOCIATION  13 

And  now,  to  recapitulate  briefly:  What  are  the  forestry  questions  most 
prominent  at  this  time  which  the  Association  can  assist  in  solving? 

(1)  The  question  of  fire  protection  is  uppermost  in  the  minds  of  most  of 
us,  and  we  should  make  a  special  effort  the  coming  summer  to  bring  this  to 
the  attention  of  the  voters,  and  especially  to  the  attention  of  the  prospective 
candidates  for  the  Legislature,  with  the  hope  of  getting  an  Assembly  favor- 
able to  forestry  legislation. 

(2)  This  must  be  done,  and  some  kind  of  legislation  passed  before  the  sec- 
ond question  can  be  taken  up,  which  is,  the  cooperation  of  the  State  with  the 
Federal  Government  in  fire  protection  on  the  headwaters  of  streams,  as  will 
be  explained  by  Mr.  Peters. 

(3)  Wherever  the  pine  is  being  destroyed  by  the  pine  beetle,  the  Associa- 
tion should  make  a  special  effort  to  found  local  associations  in  the  counties 
affected,  and  then  cooperate  with  them  in  every  way  possible. 

(4)  The  Association  should  encourage  and  advocate  the  teaching  of  for- 
estry in  the  colleges  and  public  schools  of  the  State,  and  should  endeavor  to 
make  the  observance  of  Arbor  Day  universal. 

(5)  The  Association  should  take  up  in  earnest  the  question  of  the  chestnut 
bark  disease,  and  bend  every  effort  to  keep  it  out  of  the  State  and  then, 
should  it  get  into  the  State,  to  combat  its  spread. 

Finally,  all  these  measures  could  be  pushed  forward  most  successfully  if  we 
had  the  cooperation  of  the  State  Legislature,  so  that  small  State  appropria- 
tions might  be  made  for  the  purposes  of  controlling  forest  fires,  of  coope- 
rating with  the  United  States  in  fire  prevention,  of  cooperating  with  counties 
in  the  fight  against  the  pine  bark  beetle,  and  of  cooperating  with  the  United 
States  in  the  protection  of  our  forests  from  the  chestnut  blight  disease. 

Motion  was  made  and  passed  that  the  Secretary's  report  stand  ap- 
proved. 

Mr.  Holmes  then  read  a  paper  on  "The  Chestnut  Bark  Disease." 

THE  CHESTNUT  BARK  DISEASE  WHICH  THEEATENS  JfOETH 
CAROLINA. 

By  J.  S.  Holmes,  Forester,  North  Carolina  Geological  and 
Economic  Survey. 

Just  four  years  ago  Mr.  Haven  Metcalf,  of  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Plant 
Industry,  in  a  brief  circular*  wrote,  "The  bark  disease  of  the  chestnut  caused 
by  the  fungus  Diaporthe  parasitica  (Murrill),  has  spread  rapidly  from  Long 
Island,  where  it  was  first  observed,  and  is  now  reported  from  Connecticut, 
Massachusetts,  Vermont,  New  York  as  far  north  as  Poughkeepsie,  New  Jersey, 
Pennsylvania,  and  possibly  Delaware.  It  is  no  exaggeration  to  say  that  it  is 
at  present  the  most  threatening  forest  tree  disease  in  America.  Unless  some- 
thing now  unforeseen  occurs  to  check  its  spread,  the  complete  destruction  of 
the  chestnut  orchards  and  forests  of  the  country,  or  at  least  of  the  Atlantic 
States,  is  only  a  question  of  a  few  years'  time." 

Since  that  time  two  or  three  circulars  have  been  issued  on  the  subject  by 
the  United  States  Bureau  of  Plant  Industry  as  well  as  numerous  articles  and 


*  "The  Immunity  of  the  Japanese  Chestnut  to  the  Bark  Disease,"  by  Haven  Metcalf,  Bui.  121,  Pt. 
vi.,  Bureau  of  Plant  Industry. 


l-i  SECOXD    ANNUAL    CONVENTION 

bulletins  by  the  different  States.  This  disease  has  now  spread  into  Virginia 
and  West  Virginia,  and  seriously  threatens  the  forests  of  this  State.  Mr. 
Metcalf  writes,  in  answer  to  my  letter  asking  him  to  be  present  at  this 
meeting: 

"I  regret  very  much  that  it  is  impossible  for  me  to  come  myself,  or  send 
you  a  man  for  the  meeting  of  your  Association,  as  it  seems  necessary  to  have 
every  one  at  Harrisburg  who  has  any  knowledge  of  the  disease.  I  regret 
very  muc"h  being  unable  to  be  present  myself,  as  there  is  a  good  deal  to  be 
said  on  the  subject  of  the  chestnut  bark  disease,  and  I  have  little  doubt  that 
it  will  reach  North  Carolina  by  another  year." 

The  meeting  at  Harrisburg  to  which  Mr.  Metcalf  refers,  has  been  called  by 
the  Governor  of  Pennsylvania  to  consider  ways  and  means  for  combating  this 
disease,  which  has  now  spread  over  the  larger  part  of  that  State.  Invitations 
were  sent  out  to  interested  people  all  over  the  Atlantic  States,  and  three  of 
the  men  whom  I  had  hoped  to  have  at  this  meeting  have  had  to  decline  on 
account  of  attending  the  meeting  at  Harrisburg  yesterday  and  today. 

At  a  recent  meeting  of  the  foresters  from  the  Eastern  States  in  New  York, 
at  which  the  writer  and  many  prominent  railroad  men  were  present,  the  whole 
time  of  the  meeting  was  taken  up  with  a  discussion  of  ways  and  means  to 
dispose  of  the  enormous  amount  of  dead  chestnut  in  the  southern  New  Eng- 
land and  North  Atlantic  States  which  has  been  killed  by  this  disease. 

Not  only  were  reduced  rates  on  the  railroads  advocated  for  dead  chestnut 
wood,  so  that  immediate  cutting  of  the  infected  timber  could  proceed  without 
serious  loss,  but  the  erection  of  new  plants  for  the  utilization  of  this  dead 
chestnut  wood  through  the  most  seriously  affected  regions  of  New  England, 
New  York,  and  Pennsylvania  was  strongly  urged. 

Last  year  the  State  of  Pennsylvania  appropriated  $275,000  "for  the  investiga- 
tion and  scientific  study  of  this  problem,  and,  more  specifically,  to  ascertain 
the  exact  extent  of  the  blight,  and  to  devise  ways  and  means  through  which 
it  might,  if  possible,  be  stamped  out." 

The  Pennsylvania  Chestnut  Blight  Commission,  which  has  been  appointed  to 
carry  out  these  provisions,  is  carefully  studying  the  disease  and  at  the  same 
time  taking  strenuous  measures  to  prevent  its  further  spread.  They  are 
asking  neighboring  States  who  are  threatened  with  this  pest  to  cooperate 
with  them  in  every  way  possible. 

The  chestnut  timber  of  North  Carolina  means  more  to  the  farmers,  the 
timberland  owners,  and  the  manufacturers  of  the  western  part  of  the  State 
than  any  other  tree.  According  to  an  estimate  made  by  the  North  Carolina 
Geological  and  Economic  Survey  in  cooperation  with  the  United  States  Forest 
Service,  there  are  slightly  over  three  million  acres  of  forest  land  in  North 
Carolina  now  growing  a  larger  or  smaller  proportion  of  chestnut  timber.  On 
this  area,  mixed  with  many  other  species,  there  was  a  stand  in  1909-'10  of 
approximately  3,380  million  feet  board  measure  of  chestnut  timber.  In 
addition  to  this  there  was  at  least  one  and  one-half  million  cords  of  chestnut 
cordwood  that  could  not  be  converted  into  lumber.  Putting  the  low  stump- 
age  value  of  one  dollar  per  thousand  or  fifty  cents  per  cord  on  this  timber,  we 
have  a  present  value  for  the  chestnut  timber  in  North  Carolina  of  at  least 
four  million  dollars. 

The  cutting,  marketing  and  manufacturing  of  this  timber  will  mean  at 
least  forty  million  dollars  to  the  citizens  of  this  State,  and  there  can  be  no 


NORTH  CAROLINA  FORESTRY  ASSOCIATION  15 

doubt  but  that  an  annual  income  of  at  least  one  million  dollars  could  be  per- 
manently secured  from  the  chestnut  timber  alone,  were  these  mountain  for- 
ests managed  in  a  conservative  way.  Chestnut  is  the  tree  best  adapted  to  all 
situations  in  our  mountains,  and  is  the  tree  that  comes  soonest  to  financial 
maturity,  while  its  use  for  lumber,  for  telephone  poles,  for  tanning  extract, 
and  for  pulp,  makes  it  the  most  widely  useful  tree  commercially  of  any  in 
that  region. 

Can  we  afford  to  lose  this  important  source  of  revenue  without  a  struggle? 
We  certainly  can  not. 

Every  member  of  this  Association  can  do  something  towards  delaying  or 
preventing  the  invasion  of  this  State  by  the  chestnut  bark  disease  by  writing 
to  his  Congressman  to  support  the  bill  now  before  Congress,  which  calls  for 
an  appropriation  of  $80,000  for  the  use  of  the  United  States  Department  of 
Agriculture,  to  be  used  in  a  thorough  study  and  investigation  of  this  tree 
disease,  with  the  view  of  devising  ways  and  means  to  combat  its  further 
spread.  If  this  bill  is  passed,  the  department  would  undoubtedly  send  ex- 
perts into  North  Carolina  the  coming  summer  to  watch  out  for  this  disease 
and  to  plan  a  campaign  to  prevent  its  invasion  or  its  further  spread,  should 
it  appear  in  this  State.  I  think  also  that  this  Association,  as  a  body,  should 
go  on  record  as  approving  this  bill. 

Every  person  who  goes  into  the  woods  where  chestnut  grows,  should  make 
a  point  of  looking  out  for  this  disease  and  reporting  it  to  the  Government  as 
soon  as  it  is  discovered,  that  immediate  steps  may  be  taken  to  combat  it. 

In  order  that  I  need  not  take  up  valuable  time  with  a  description  of  the 
appearance  of  this  disease,  I  have  brought  a  sterilized  sample,  which  was 
sent  me  by  the  Bureau  of  Plant  Industry,  which  all  who  are  interested  can 
examine.  Anyone  who  has  once  seen  it  will  have  no  difficulty  in  recognizing 
this  disease. 

For  detailed  description  and  suggested  methods  of  control,  I  would  refer  you 
to  Farmers  Bulletin  467.  issued  by  the  United  States  Department  of  Agri- 
culture, and  to  the  report  on  the  Harrisburg  Chestnut  Bark  Disease  Confer- 
ence which  will  no  doubt  be  published  without  delay  by  the  Chestnut  Blight 
Commission  of  Pennsylvania. 

Mr.  E.  B.  Mason,  an  expert  in  the  office  of  Forest  Insect  Investiga- 
tions of  tlie  United  States  Bureau  of  Entomology,  who  the  past  year  was 
in  charge  of  the  Spartanburg  (S.  C.)  Field  Station  of  that  office,  which 
was  charged  with  conducting  a  campaign  for  the  control  of  the  Southern 
Pine  Beetle  through  the  South  Atlantic  States,  was  then  introduced. 
Mr.  Mason's  address  was  as  follows : 

THE  SOITHERX  PI>E  BEETLE  AND  ITS  CONTROL. 

By  E.  B.  Masox,  United  States  Bureau  of  Entomology. 

Gentlemen: — It  is  a  great  pleasure  for  me  to  be  present  at  this  meeting 
for  three  excellent  reasons: 

First,  because  the  first  State  recognition  of  our  efforts  to  show  the  people 
of  the  South  how  to  save  their  pine  from  the  attacks  of  the  Southern  pine 
beetle  was  from  North  Carolina. 


16  SECOND    ANNUAL    CONVENTION 

Second,  because  to  the  cooperation  of  the  North  Carolina  Forestry  Associa- 
tion, with  those  interested,  was  due  the  formation  of  the  Mecklenburg  Pine 
Beetle  Association  and  the  Gaston  Forestry  Association,  which  were  followed 
by  the  formation  of  similar  organizations  in  other  Southern  States. 

Third,  because  these  two  associations  formed  for  fighting  the  beetle  are  not 
merely  names,  but  have  actually  performed  the  work  for  which  they  were 
organized. 

I  look  forward  with  confidence  to  a  time  within  the  near  future  when  we 
can  say  that  the  people  of  North  Carolina  have  established  systematic  insect 
control  for  the  benefit  of  every  pine  timber  owner  in  the  State. 

I  do  not  think  it  necessary  for  me  to  dwell  on  the  seriousness  of  the  situa- 
tion in  regard  to  the  Southern  pine  beetle.  There  is  not  a  man  here  who 
has  not  seen  the  appalling  amount  of  dead  pine.  This  dead  pine  is  gone. 
We  can  not  bring  it  to  life  again,  but  we  can,  and  I  am  sure  we  will,  try  to 
stop  the  dying  of  further  large  quantities  of  timber.  Since  it  is  possible  for 
us  to  make  efforts  in  this  direction,  it  seems  to  me  that  we  should  look  on 
further  loss  from  this  cause  as  absolutely  unnecessary,  and  hold  no  one  but 
ourselves  to  blame  for  it. 

The  Southern  pine  beetle  has  existed,  to  our  knowledge,  in  the  South  for 
over  forty  years.  It  is  only  at  long  intervals,  however,  that  it  increases  to 
such  numbers  as  to  cause  widespread  depredations  such  as  the  great  invasion 
of  1890-'93,  which  destroyed  a  large  percentage  of  the  pine  in  the  Virginias 
and  was  only  stopped  by  unusual  climatic  conditions.  The  warning  sign  of 
a  depredation  is  the  increase  in  number  and  size  of  the  groups  of  dying  pine. 
This  warning  has  been  only  too  plainly  manifest  the  last  two  years.  We 
have  no  reason  to  anticipate  that  any  natural  factor  will  come  to  our  aid. 
We  should  be  more  than  foolish  if  we  based  our  hopes  of  relief  on  any  such 
intervention  of  Providence.  In  other  words,  gentlemen,  it  is  distinctly  and 
plainly  up  to  us. 

In  order  that  you  may  understand  the  reasons  for  the  methods  of  control 
we  advise,  I  am  going  to  run  through  the  life  history  of  this  beetle,  beginning 
with  the  early  summer,  as  outlined  by  Dr.  A.  D.  Hopkins,  who  is  the  authority 
on  forest  insects  of  the  Department  of  Agriculture,  Bureau  of  Entomology. 

The  beetles  attack  and  leave  a  tree  in  about  thirty  days  or  even  more 
quickly.  Three  or  four  generations  in  the  North  and  four  or  five  in  the  South 
develop  during  the  season.  In  other  words,  they  may  be  increased  thousands 
of  times  from  their  original  numbers  during  the  year.  They  fly  during  the 
night,  and  sometimes  in  the  day,  and  alight  on  the  upper  trunk  of  a  living 
pine.  (Observation  has  shown  that  they  seldom  go  as  far  down  as  the  first 
eight  or  ten  feet  of  the  butt  cut,  depending,  of  course,  on  the  size  of  the  tree.) 
When  they  alight  on  a  tree  they  bore  though  the  bark  to  the  wood,  but  they 
do  not  bore  into  the  wood.  In  the  inner  bark  and  marked  on  the  surface  of 
the  wood  they  make  those  winding  galleries  with  which  you  are  all  familiar. 
These  galleries,  crossing  and  recrossing,  girdle  the  tree  many  times,  thus 
killing  it.  The  eggs  are  laid  along  these  galleries,  hatch  into  little  grubs, 
which  feed  for  a  short  time  on  the  inner  bark,  and  then  go  into  the  outer 
bark  where  they  change  into  beetles  with  wings.  The  beetles  bore  out  of  the 
bark  to  the  light,  fly  away  and  attack  other  trees.  They  can  fly  for  three  or 
four  miles  or  more,  may  go  in  any  direction,  and,  therefore,  are  a  direct  men- 
ace to  all  pine  within  three  or  four  miles  of  a  center  of  infestation. 


NORTH  CAROLINA  FORESTRY  ASSOCIATION  17 

Since  they  kill  and  leave  a  tree  in  thirty  days  or  even  more  quickly,  you 
will  never  find  their  broods  in  old  dead  trees  or  trees  from  which  the  foliage 
has  fallen.  You  will  find  many  other  kinds  of  beetles  in  old  dead  trees,  but 
never  this  one.  You  will  find  this  beetle  in  trees  on  which  the  foliage  has 
begun  to  fade  to  light  green  or  has  faded  to  yellow  or  greenish  brown.  In 
fact,  after  November  1st,  any  dying  or  dead  trees  which  retain  their  foliage 
are  apt  to  harbor  the  hibernating  beetles,  and  in  addition  they  are  also  found 
in  trees  on  which  the  foliage  is  green  but  which  have  pitch  tubes  on  the 
trunk — these  trees  fade  later. 

After  November  the  beetles  remain  in  the  trees  and  instead  of  coming  out 
in  thirty  days  they  don't  come  out  till  spring.  You  have  them  trapped. 
That  is  the  time  to  go  after  them.  It  is  only  necessary  to  cut  down  the  trees 
containing  the  beetles  and  destroy  the  bark  in  which  the  broods  are  spending 
the  winter.  You  do  not  have  to  destroy  the  wood,  you  do  not  even  have  to 
destroy  the  tops  and  laps.  Bear  in  mind  that  the  beetles  have  left  the  old 
dead  trees  from  which  the  foliage  has  fallen.  The  old  dead  trees  may  be 
totally  disregarded  in  control  operations. 

About  destroying  the  bark  in  which  the  broods  of  the  beetle  are  wintering, 
it  can  be  destroyed  in  several  ways  and  in  most  cases  in  such  a  manner  as 
not  to  involve  a  direct  expense.  The  tree  in  which  the  beetles  are  spending 
the  winter  may  be  turned  into  cordwood.  This  cordwood  should  be  burned, 
however,  and  care  should  be  taken  to  gather  up  the  bark  that  falls  in  cutting 
between  November  1st  and  May  1st.  These  same  kinds  of  trees  may  be  turned 
into  timber,  but  the  slabs  with  the  bark  on  must  be  burned  between  November 
1st  and  May  1st.  There  are  other  methods,  but  these  are  the  principal  ones. 
In  all  methods  the  underlying  principle  is  the  same — the  destruction  of  the 
bark  in  which  the  broods  of  the  beetle  are  wintering. 

You  notice  I  have  confined  control  operations  to  the  winter.  There  is  an 
excellent  reason  for  this.  The  cutting  of  any  dead  or  living  pine  during  the 
summer  months  in  a  beetle  infested  country  will  attract  the  beetles  from 
three  or  four  miles.  They  will  go  to  some  extent  into  the  fresh  felled  green 
timber,  but  the  greater  part  of  the  attack  will  be  against  the  surrounding 
healthy  timber.  It  is  therefore  a  very  dangerous  thing  to  cut  pine  during  the 
summer  unless  every  one  in  the  neighborhood  cuts  their  dying  infested  trees 
at  the  same  time  and  destroys  the  bark.  Of  course,  when  the  beetle  is  under 
control  there  should  be  no  reason  for  not  cutting  timber  at  any  season  of 
the  year. 

I  want  to  speak  briefly  on  two  popular  errors.  Some  people  will  tell  you 
that  the  dying  of  the  pine  during  the  last  summer  was  due  to  the  drought. 
Trees  have  been  dying  every  month  in  the  year  in  moist  as  well  as  dry  lo- 
calities, in  wet  weather  as  well  as  in  dry  weather.  Drought  is,  therefore,  out 
of  the  question.  Many  people  will  tell  you  that  the  death  of  the  pine  is  due  to 
the  sawyer  or  borer.  This  is  a  natural  mistake,  because  of  the  size  of  the 
sawyer  and  the  noise  which  it  makes  when  at  work.  It  is,  nevertheless,  a 
mistake.  It  has  long  since  been  determined  that  this  class  of  borer  never 
attacks  a  living,  uninjured  pine.  It  comes  in  while  the  beetle  is  working  or 
after  the  beetle  has  left  the  tree. 

We  can  divide  the  problems  to  be  met  into  two  divisions:  The  woodlot 
proposition  and  the  lumbering  proposition.  In  the  woodlot  proposition  the 
owner  uses  his  woodlot  for  his  fuel  supply.  He  can  just  as  well  use  his  in- 
2 


18  SEco^'D  axjvual  convention 

fested  trees  for  cordwood  and  thus  control  the  beetle  at  no  expense.  On  large 
holdings  where  cutting  is  going  on  the  desired  result  can  be  obtained  by  burn- 
ing the  slabs  from  the  infected  trees  with  the  bark  on.  Where  the  timber  is 
to  be  held  and  there  is  no  market  for  cordwood,  control  measures  must  be 
conducted  at  direct  expense.  The  question  to  determine  is  whether  the 
amount  expended  will  be  justified  by  the  timber  saved.  Disregarding  the  in- 
crease in  the  danger  of  fire  from  the  dead  timber  and  the  very  great  possibility 
of  an  increase  in  the  number  of  trees  killed  each  year,  I  want  to  say  distinctly 
to  you  that  it  tvill  pay.  The  trouble  with  the  large  holders  is  that  they  do 
not  know  how  much  timber  they  are  losing. 

No  lumberman  who  is  suffering  from  inroads  by  the  beetle,  after  he  has 
made  an  investigation  into  how  much  timber  he  is  losing,  will  hesitate  for  a 
moment  in  starting  control  operations.  He  will  not  hesitate  any  more  than 
he  would  hesitate  to  go  out  and  fight  a  forest  fire — indeed,  an  attack  by  in- 
sects differs  only  from  a  forest  fire  in  that  you  have  more  time  to  fight  it,  and 
I  quote  your  forester,  Mr.  Holmes,  as  saying  that  more  timber  has  been  killed 
in  the  southern  Piedmont  section  of  North  Carolina  by  the  Southern  pine 
beetle  than  has  been  killed  by  fire. 

Gentlemen,  the  proposition  is  up  to  every  individual  timber  owner.  Dr. 
Howard,  Chief  of  the  Bureau  of  Entomology,  has  put  the  resources  of  the 
Bureau  at  your  service.  We  can  only  give  advice,  however.  You  must  do 
the  actual  work.  If  all  will  help,  if  all  will  go  at  the  very  simple  task  before 
them  without  waiting  for  their  neighbors  to  begin,  we  can  control  this  beetle 
and  save  an  amount  of  pine  from  dying,  the  value  of  which  I  should  not  dare 
estimate  in  dollars. 

Gentlemen  of  the  North  Carolina  Forestry  Association,  I  have  endeavored 
to  put  this  matter  before  you  as  simply  as  possible.  If  there  are  any  questions 
unanswered  in  your  minds,  do  not,  in  justice  to  yourselves  and  to  us,  let  me 
go  away  with  them  unanswered.  I  think  you  will  agree  with  me  that  every 
man  here  who  controls  pine  timber  should  get  at  this  matter  at  once.  It 
does  not  admit  of  delay.  Realize  that  you  are  engaged  in  a  labor  not  only 
for  yourself,  but  for  your  neighbor,  and  indeed  for  the  whole  South,  and  let 
your  watchword  be,  "Do  It  Now." 

A  general  discussion  followed  Mr.  Mason's  speech,  in  which  Mr.  Z.  W. 
Whitehead,  of  Wilmington ;  Dr.  C.  H.  Herty,  of  Chapel  Hill ;  Mr.  W.  S. 
Pharr,  of  Charlotte ;  Mr.  G.  K.  Massengill,  of  Four  Oaks,  and  several 
other  delegates,  took  part. 

Honorable  James  R.  Young,  State  Insurance  Commissioner,  then 
read  a  paper  on  what  his  department  can  do  to  prevent  forest  fires. 
This  address  was  as  follows : 

ENFORCING  THE  PRESENT  FOREST  FIRE  LAWS. 

By  James  R.  Young,  Insurance  Commissioner. 

It  is  especially  gratifying  to  me  to  be  present  at  your  meeting  and  by  my 
presence  and  words  endorse  and  extend  aid  to  the  North  Carolina  Forestry 
Association  in  the  great  work  it  is  undertaking  to  do  in  the  preservation  of 
our  forests.     Upon  me  as  a  State  official  devolves  the  duty  of  attempting  their 


NOKTH  CAKOLINA  FORESTRY  ASSOCIATION  19 

preservation  by  enforcing  the  law  upon  our  statute  books  to  punish  any  one 
responsible  for  their  destruction  or  injury  by  fire,  and  I  most  heartily  wel- 
come the  aid  of  the  members  of  your  Association,  both  collectively  and  indi- 
vidually. We  are  justly  proud  of  our  great  nation;  but  as  a  people  we  are 
at  the  same  time  the  most  progressive  as  well  as  the  most  careless  and  waste- 
ful people  on  earth.  There  are  none  equal  to  us.  It  is,  indeed,  a  hopeful 
sign  that  we  are  being  aroused  by  the  cry  of  "Conservation."  It  is  encour- 
aging to  see  many  of  our  best  men  traveling  over  this  broad  land,  stirring 
up  and  organizing  our  people  to  aid  in  the  conservation  of  America's  natural 
resources.  That  much  has  been  and  more  will  be  accomplished  goes  without 
saying,  for  who  is  not  in  one  way  or  another  endorsing  this  great  work  and 
aiding  in  its  accomplishment! 

FIRE  WASTE. 

I  venture  the  assertion,  and  feel  that  I  can  make  good  the  statement,  that 
in  no  field  is  there  a  greater  need  of  conservation,  or  an  opportunity  of  so 
certainly  accomplishing  big  results  as  in  stopping  our  fire  waste.  "We  can 
and  should  hasten  the  day  when  we  as  a  nation  no  longer  countenance  in  our 
midst  the  criminals  who,  by  carelessness,  indifference,  or  deliberate  incendiar- 
ism, are  destroying  our  property  and  menacing  the  lives  of  our  men,  women, 
and  children.  The  total  fire  losses  in  the  United  States  and  Canada  during 
the  year  1911  were  $234,337,250,  and  during  the  past  thirty-five  years  these 
losses  amount  to  $5,181,345,425.  These  figures  do  not  include  the  cost  of 
insurance  nor  the  money  expended  in  fire  departments. 

The  fire  losses  and  cost  of  fire  prevention  in  the  United  States  amount 
annually  to  $450,000,000,  or  more  than  the  total  American  production  of  gold, 
silver,  copper,  and  petroleum  in  a  year. 

Fire  losses  exceed  the  total  cost  of  the  army  and  navy  of  the  United  States 
for  a  year,  and  are  greater  than  the  annual  expenditure  for  pensions,  or  the 
annual  cost  of  the  United  States  Postal  Service.  Fire  in  the  United  States 
costs  over  five  hundred  dollars  each  minute.  Every  two  minutes  the  value 
of  the  average  home  of  our  working  man  goes  up  in  smoke;  while  every  ten 
or  fifteen  minutes  there  is  consumed  by  the  flames  the  value  of  fine  homes 
such  as  we  point  to  with  pride  as  ornaments  to  our  cities  and  towns.  As  if 
this  were  not  enough  to  arouse  us,  over  fifteen  hundred  people  are  killed  and 
more  than  five  thousand  injured  annually  by  the  result  of  fires. 

PREVENTABLE. 

This  great  fire  waste  is  preventable  to  a  large  extent,  and  by  the  exercise  of 
even  ordinary  care  and  foresight  over  one-half  of  our  fire  waste  can  be  pre- 
vented. The  general  per  capita  fire  waste  in  the  United  States  is  $2.51;  in 
Europe,  33  cents.  Cause:  The  latter  has  better  construction,  less  careless- 
ness, and  increased  responsibility.  In  nothing  is  the  old  adage,  "An  ounce  of 
prevention  is  worth  a  pound  of  cure,"  so  true  as  in  stopping  our  appalling 
annual  loss  by  fire.  If  the  buildings  in  the  United  States  were  fireproof,  as 
in  Europe,  the  annual  cost  of  fire  losses  and  protection  would  be  less  than 
$100,000,000. 

The  enormity  of  our  fire  waste  and  its  effects  upon  the  business  and  progress 
of  our  country  is  shown  by  the  importance  of  the  business  of  fire  insurance. 


20  SECOND   ANNUAL    CONVENTION 

The  insurance  companies  engaged  in  this  class  of  business  alone  have 
of  about  $450,000,000.  In  1910,  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  stock  fire  com- 
panies assumed  risks  of  $36,357,713,046  for  premiums  of  $273,557,380,  while  in 
North  Carolina  alone  $257,375,954  were  assumed  in  risks  for  premiums  of 
$3,296,096.  The  fire  losses  in  North  Carolina  amount  annually  to  practically 
$1,500,000,  or  $4,000  a  day,  and  yet  with  proper  care  two-thirds  could  be  pre- 
vented, with  a  saving  to  our  State  in  taxable  property  and  to  our  citizens  of 
$1,000,000  a  year,  or  over  $2,500  a  day.  The  loss  of  property  is  not  all,  for, 
as  in  the  rest  of  the  country,  there  is  a  great  loss  of  life.  During  last  year 
I  noted  in  the  papers  twenty-one  persons  who  lost  their  lives  by  fire  in  this 
State;  while  so  far  this  year,  with  only  one  and  a  half  months  gone,  the 
State  papers  have  recorded  already  as  burned  fifteen  persons,  of  whom  twelve 
have  died  as  the  result  so  far. 

FOREST    FIRES. 

In  1910  the  loss  by  forest  fires  was  $26,000,000,  or  over  ten  per  cent  of  the 
fire  waste  of  the  country.  If  the  same  per  cent  holds  good  in  our  State,  and 
I  see  no  good  reason  why  it  should  not,  then  the  annual  loss  in  North  Carolina 
by  forest  fires  amounts  to  $150,000.  This  can  hardly  be  considered  a  large 
estimate  when  you  count  not  only  the  standing  timber  and  buildings  but  the 
destruction  of  buildings  and  small  growth. 

My  observation  would  lead  me  to  believe  that  by  far  the  larger  bulk  of  this 
loss  was  caused  by  thoughtlessness  and  carelessness,  rather  than  by  malicious- 
ness. This  shows  the  wisdom  of  our  legislators  in  providing  for  the  punish- 
ment of  those  responsible  for  fires  due  to  either  cause,  as  set  out  in  Section 
3346  of  The  Revisal  of  1905  of  North  Carolina,  as  follows: 

Section  3346.  Woods. — If  any  person  shall  set  fire  to  any  woods,  except  it 
be  his  own  property  or,  in  that  case,  without  first  giving  notice  in  writing  to 
all  persons  owning  lands  adjoining  to  the  woodlands  intended  to  be  fired,  at 
least  two  days  before  the  time  of  firing  such  woods,  and  also  taking  effectual 
care  to  extinguish  such  fire  before  it  shall  reach  any  vacant  or  patented  lands 
near  to  or  adjoining  the  lands  so  fired,  he  shall,  for  every  such  offense,  for- 
feit and  pay  to  any  person  who  shall  sue  for  the  same,  fifty  dollars,  and  be 
liable  to  any  one  injured  in  an  action,  and  shall  moreover  be  guilty  of  a 
misdemeanor. 

Of  course,  I  have  had  some  forest  fires  investigated,  but  so  far  I  have  not 
had  the  success  in  ferreting  them  out  and  punishing  the  originators  as  I 
have  in  other  fires,  where  I  have  obtained  five  convictions  since  January  1, 
1912,  and  one  hundred  and  thirty-three  since  I  have  been  charged  with  this 
fire  marshal  work  in  this  State. 

All  laws  designed  to  stop  fire  waste  are  largely  educational,  and  accomplish 
much  when  handled  in  this  way;  hence,  I  have  attempted  to  spread  this  law 
over  North  Carolina  in  the  form  of  posters,  such  as  you  see  distributed  among 
you  today.  These  posters  are  sent  out  to  the  sheriff  and  other  ofl^cers  of  our 
counties,  as  well  as  to  all  lumber  companies  and  others  interested  in  the  pro- 
tection of  our  forests.  The  Department  will  continue  to  send  them  in  such 
quantities  to  any  citizen  of  North  Carolina  as  they  will  post  or  distribute. 

Of  course  our  attempts  to  stop  forest  fires  must  take  into  consideration  all 
the  different  causes  for  which  they  are  started,  and  our  people  must  be  edu- 


NOKTH  CAROLINA  FORESTRY  ASSOCIATION  21 

cated  to  realize  that  the  results  along  the  lines  desired  do  not  by  any  means 
compensate  for  the  possible,  or  even  actual  loss  by  such  fires.  There  are 
many  things  that  in  themselves  appear  to  be  small  that  cause  these  forest 
fires.  The  night  hunter,  by  carelessly  handling  his  torches,  or  leaving  fires 
in  the  woods  to  be  fanned  into  flames  and  spread  by  rising  winds,  often  starts 
a  fire  that  sweeps  over  the  forest  and  does  immense  damage.  Again,  the 
smoker  in  passing  through  the  forest,  or  the  hunter  by  day  or  night,  care- 
lessly throwing  aside  the  stump  of  a  cigar  or  cigarette,  or  shaking  the  ashes 
from  a  pipe,  starts  a  fire  that  spreads  over  the  whole  country  and  does  im- 
mense damage.  A  great  many  of  our  owners  of  lands  have  undertaken  to 
prohibit  hunters  from  passing  through  their  lands,  and  in  this  way  a  consid- 
erable prejudice  has  been  raised  against  landowners,  the  hunters  feeling  that 
the  objection  is  raised  purely  because  of  the  game  that  they  seek,  while  as  a 
matter  of  fact  the  landowner  is  more  interested  in  preventing  damage  to  his 
lands  by  fires  than  he  is  in  the  game  caught  upon  his  land  or  a  few  trees  cut 
down  by  the  night  hunter.  A  proper  education  must  be  undertaken  and 
carried  out  to  overcome  this  prejudice. 

Again,  the  farmer  in  clearing  his  lands  in  the  spring  will  build  up  fires  to 
burn  off  the  brush,  and  by  carelessness  or  thoughtlessness  allow  the  flames 
to  be  carried  into  adjacent  fields  or  forests  by  the  winds  prevalent  in  the 
spring,  and  thus  the  country  around  for  miles  will  be  swept  by  fire  and  a 
damage  done  that  will  amount  to  more  than  all  the  crops  that  will  be  raised 
on  the  lands  being  cleared.  The  farmers  need  to  be  educated  to  the  danger 
of  spreading  these  fires,  and  the  necessity  of  laws  for  the  prevention  of  these 
fires  in  order  to  do  away  with  the  damage  caused  by  them.  Again,  the  rail- 
roads should  be  required  by  law  to  keep  their  rights  of  way  so  protected 
from  the  surrounding  country  that  the  sparks  from  their  engines  will  not 
start  these  fires,  for  they  not  only  do  a  great  damage  to  the  country  and  the 
owners  of  the  lands,  but  tend  to  promote  a  prejudice  between  the  people  and 
the  railroads. 

In  conclusion,  Mr.  President  and  gentlemen,  I  beg  to  say  that  it  will  afford 
me  great  pleasure  to  do  anything  I  can  in  enforcing  the  laws  that  we  now 
have  on  our  statute  books  to  prevent  forest  fires,  and  to  aid  in  having  our 
Legislature  to  add  other  suitable  and  necessary  laws,  and  especially  should 
these  laws  be  so  formed  and  enforced  that  the  people  may  be  educated  to 
realize  their  advantage  and  necessity,  so  as  to  lessen  instead  of  increasing 
the  friction  between  the  different  classes  of  our  people.  We  have  already 
had  some  of  this  in  the  prejudices  brought  against  lumber  companies  who 
have  undertaken  to  protect  their  holdings  by  prosecutions  against  parties  for 
starting  fires. 

I  will  unite  with  you,  and  use  every  means  in  my  power  in  enforcing  the 
laws,  and  reducing  our  fire  waste  from  this  cause  in  our  State. 

An  interesting  discussion  followed  Mr.  Young's  paper,  in  which  Mr. 
Joseph  Hyde  Pratt,  Mr.  J,  S.  Holmes,  and  others  took  part. 

Mr.  Joseph  Hyde  Pratt,  State  Geologist,  then  gave  a  talk  on  the  work 
the  ISTorth   Carolina   Geological   and  Economic   Survey  was  doing  to 


22  SECOND   ANNUAL    CONVENTION 

interest  the  people  in  the  subject  of  forest  protection.    His  address  was 
as  follows: 

FOKESTRT  ^VORK   OF  THE  NORTH  CAROLINA  GEOLOGICAL  AND 
ECONOMIC  SURVEY. 

By  Joseph  Hyde  Pratt,  State  Geologist. 

The  North  Carolina  General  Assembly  of  1905  reorganized  the  North  Caro- 
lina Geological  Survey,  changing  its  name  to  the  North  Carolina  Geological 
and  Economic  Survey,  and  in  stating  the  object  of  the  Survey  the  law  says, 
in  part,  that  the  Survey  shall  make  examination  of  the  forest  resources  of 
the  State  and  shall  make  a  classification  of  the  forests  with  special  reference 
to  their  bearing  upon  the  occupation  of  the  people;  and  shall  study  a  plan 
for  protection  of  the  forests,  with  special  reference  to  the  preservation  of  the 
flow  of  streams  and  water  powers  of  the  State.  This  phase  of  the  work  of  the 
Geological  Survey  has  become  one  of  its  more  important  problems  and  studies. 
It  has  been  estimated  that  approximately  eleven  million  acres  of  land  in 
North  Carolina  are  now  supporting  some  kind  of  forest  growth.  Nearly  one- 
half  of  this  area  is  probably  absolute  forest  land,  that  is,  the  land  is  too  rough 
to  cultivate  properly;  is  too  easily  washed  by  rain  or  floods;  is  too  poor  to 
yield  adequate  returns  for  the  labor  put  upon  it,  or,  for  other  reasons,  the 
production  of  timber  crops  is  the  most  profitable  use  to  which  it  can  be  put, 
for  a  great  many  years  to  come.  This  large  amount  of  forest  land  represents 
an  investment  of  from  twenty-five  to  fifty  million  dollars  at  the  least.  One- 
sixth  of  the  entire  wealth  producing  capital  of  the  State  is  invested  in  forest 
lands  or  in  industries  directly  depending  upon  the  products  obtained  from  the 
forests.  Thus  it  is  seen  that  the  problems  relating  to  forestry  are  most  vital 
to  the  industrial  life  of  the  State,  and  the  State  should  put  forth  every  effort 
to  make  these  forests  as  nearly  perpetual  as  she  possibly  can,  and  encourage 
and  stimulate  the  owners  of  these  lands  to  assist  her  in  conserving  them. 

The  Geological  and  Economic  Survey  has  from  its  investigations  realized 
most  thoroughly  the  need  of  conserving  and  protecting  the  forest  areas  of 
the  State,  and  has  for  the  past  two  years  employed  constantly  a  forester  to 
investigate  and  assist  in  carrying  out  measures  that  would  tend  toward  awak- 
ening the  people  of  North  Carolina  to  a  realization  that  some  legislation 
must  be  enacted  to  prevent  the  total  destruction  of  our  forests,  and  thus  one 
of  the  most  valuable  assets  of  the  State. 

The  forestry  work  is  varied  in  character  and  consists  of: 

1.  An  investigation  of  the  forest  conditions  of  North  Carolina. 

2.  A  study  of  forest  fires  in  North  Carolina. 

3.  A  statistical  study  of  the  wood-using  industries  of  North  Carolina. 

4.  The  examination  of  timber  areas  in  regard  to  practicing  scientific 
forestry. 

5.  Examination  of  watersheds  belonging  to  municipalities  in  regard  to 
their  protection  from  fire  and  contamination. 

6.  Investigations  regarding  the  reforestation  of  abandoned  farm  lands  and 
cut-over  lands. 

In  order  to  obtain  more  accurate  knowledge  regarding  the  timber  resources 
of  the  State,  it  was  decided  to  make  a  thorough  investigation  of  the  various 
conditions  of  the  forests,  county  by  county,  so  that  the  Geological  and  Eco- 


NORTH  CAROLINA  FORESTRY  ASSOCIATION  23 

nomic  Survey  would  be  in  a  position  to  answer  the  many  questions  that  were 
being  asked  regarding  our  forestry  resources,  such  as: 

What  are  our  forest  resources,  and  how  long  are  they  likely  to  last  at  the 
present  rate  of  timber  consumption? 

Can  we  insure  a  permanent  supply  for  our  manufacturers,  as  well  as  for 
domestic  and  other  uses? 

Is  the  timberland  yielding  to  its  owners  and  to  the  State  as  large  returns 
on  the  enormous  amount  of  money  invested  as  is  possible? 

Can  the  actual  yield  be  increased? 

Over  fifty  counties  have  thus  far  been  examined  and  one  report  has  already 
been  published  on  the  timber  resources  of  the  counties  west  of  the  Blue  Ridge. 
The  counties  in  the  western  half  of  the  Piedmont  section  have  also  been  ex- 
amined and  a  report  has  been  prepared  on  this  which  will  be  published  at 
an  early  date. 

By  far  the  greatest  enemy  which  the  forests  of  the  State  have  to  contend 
with  is  fire.  The  destruction  wrought  by  the  annual  and  periodic  fires  which 
burn  over  many  thousand  acres  of  woodland  each  year  involves  an  enormous 
loss  to  the  people  of  the  State  through  the  diminished  value  of  their  property. 
No  attempt  has  ever  been  made  to  collect  statistics  regarding  the  amount  of 
damage  to  our  forests  from  this  source,  but  it  was  considered  advisable  by 
the  Survey  to  obtain  such  data  so  that  it  could  show  more  forcibly  to  the 
people  of  the  State  what  they  were  losing  each  year  from  the  effects  of  forest 
fires.  Unfortunately,  forest  fires  usually  have  been  taken  as  a  matter  of 
course  by  our  people,  and  in  many  cases  have  scarcely  been  noticed.  Our 
lumbermen,  however,  have  begun  to  realize  that  with  the  possible  exception 
of  land  supporting  mature  pine  timber  with  little  or  no  young  growth, 
ground  fires  can  do  and  are  doing  great  injury  to  our  timberlands.  Our 
farmers  and  other  landowners  are  beginning  to  realize  that  every  time  a 
ground  cover  of  leaves  is  burned  up  the  land  becomes  that  much  poorer. 
Owners  of  waterpowers  know  that  with  the  burning  of  the  woods  the  rains 
run  off  faster,  permitting  a  much  smaller  amount  of  water  to  soak  into  the 
soil,  so  that  floods  and  periods  of  low  water  are  both  more  frequent.  Cattle- 
men who  have  contended  that  by  burning  the  range  they  get  earlier  grass  for 
their  stock  are  now  beginning  to  realize  that  in  doing  this  they  are  really 
killing  the  goose  that  lays  the  golden  egg,  for  by  burning  they  get  less  and  less 
grass  every  year.  The  man  who  owns  forest  land  and  is  holding  it  for  in- 
crease of  growth,  both  for  domestic  supply  and  for  sale,  has  learned  that  he 
is  losing  at  least  half  the  yield  he  ought  to  get  by  allowing  his  woodland  to  be 
burned  over.  Unfortunately,  however,  it  is  necessary  to  instruct  the  people 
at  large  regarding  the  great  loss  to  the  State  by  forest  fires  before  we  can 
obtain  legislation  that  will  give  the  necessary  protection. 

A  series  of  studies  has  been  made  regarding  the  forest  fires  of  North  Caro- 
lina and  statistics  have  been  collected  for  several  years  regarding  the  number 
of  fires,  their  causes,  damage  done,  etc.  The  results  of  these  investigations 
have  been  published  as  Economic  Papers  Nos.  19  and  22.  The  damage  done  by 
fires  is  estimated  as  over  $400,000  per  year  during  the  past  three  years. 

Although  there  are  a  number  of  laws  on  the  statute  books  of  North  Carolina 
relating  to  forest  fires,  yet  the  machinery  necessary  to  carry  out  these  laws 
has  never  been  passed,  and  it  is  absolutely  necessary  that  other^laws  shall  be 
passed  if  we  are  to  preserve  our  forests  from  fire. 


24  SECOND   ANNUAL    CONVENTION 

As  such  a  large  part  of  North  Carolina's  wealth  is  invested  in  timberland 
and  wood-using  industries,  and  realizing  the  growing  shortage  in  the  supply 
of  timber  suitable  for  the  use  of  these  wood-using  industries  and  the  conse- 
quent gradual  modification  in  the  requirements  fixed  by  these  consumers,  and 
recognizing  the  value  both  to  the  producers  and  consumers  of  timber  of  a 
more  intimate  knowledge  of  local  market  conditions,  the  State  Survey  has 
made  a  statistical  study  of  the  wood-using  industries  of  the  State. 

This  report  has  been  published  as  Economic  Paper  No.  20,  on  Wood-using 
Industries  of  North  Carolina,  and  should  be  of  value  to  the  State  in  assisting 
her  in  forming  an  independent  forest  policy,  and  in  presenting  the  advantages 
the  State  offers  to  wood-using  industries  to  locate  in  it.  The  timber  owner — 
even  the  farmer  who  has  a  few  scattered  trees  to  sell — can  learn  from  this 
report  where  a  market  can  be  found.  The  sawmill  operator  may  learn  a  new 
use  for  a  wood  which  he  previously  considered  of  little  commercial  value. 
The  manufacturer  will  have  a  source  of  fairly  accurate  information  concern- 
ing a  region  most  likely  to  supply  the  lumber  he  needs.  The  merchants 
throughout  the  country  who  handle  wood  products  can  obtain  considerable 
advantage  in  buying  and  selling.  There  is  given  in  the  report  the  uses  of  the 
different  kinds  of  wood  that  grow  in  North  Carolina  and  as  complete  a  list 
as  possible  of  manufacturers  who  use  wood. 

Other  lines  of  forestry  work  taken  up  by  the  Survey  are  the  examination 
of  private  forest  lands  for  the  purpose  of  recommending  improved  methods  of 
management  and  the  examination  of  watersheds  from  which  cities  or  towns 
obtain  their  water  supply,  in  order  to  recommend  the  best  method  of  pro- 
tecting these  watersheds  from  fires  and  contamination. 

The  reforestation  of  cut-over  and  abandoned  farm  land  is  another  phase  of 
forestry  work  that  demands  considerable  attention  of  the  forestry  division. 

Many  hundred  thousand  acres  in  all  parts  of  North  Carolina  now  lying 
either  entirely  waste  or  producing  scarcely  any  timber  of  value  can  be  made 
to  yield  their  full  capacity  and  make  remunerative  returns  to  their  owners. 
The  forest  lands  that  have  been  cut  over  once  or  twice  can  be  made  to  produce 
other  cuttings  as  valuable  as  any  that  have  already  been  removed.  In  order 
to  secure  reproduction  it  is  necessary  that  seed  trees  should  be  left  on  the 
cut-over  lands  to  furnish  the  seed  required,  or  else  it  will  be  necessary  to  set 
out  young  trees  or  sow  seed  brought  in  from  outside.  Then  there  must  be 
adequate  protection  for  the  young  growth,  and  fire  and  stock  must  be  kept 
out  of  the  area.  Besides  these  cut-over  areas  there  are  many  thousands  of 
acres,  especially  in  the  middle  and  western  portions  of  North  Carolina,  which 
have  been  cleared  for  cultivation  and  proved  unprofitable.  Whatever  may 
have  been  the  cause  of  this,  the  lands  should  be  reforested.  Where  lands  of 
this  character  do  not  naturally  restock  in  trees,  they  can  profitably  be  planted 
in  some  desirable  species.  This  will  not  only  insure  some  earning  from  such 
land,  but  it  will  protect  it  from  washing  or  deterioration. 

Young  trees  are  very  susceptible  to  fire,  and  many  of  them,  such  as  the 
pines,  are  destroyed  in  large  quantities  by  stock  and  hogs,  when  these  are 
allowed  to  run  at  large.  Thus,  if  good  results  are  to  be  obtained  in  reforesta- 
tion, it  is  absolutely  necessary  that  the  planted  areas  be  protected  from  fire 
and  stock.  This  is  just  as  true  when  applied  to  forests  that  are  reproducing 
themselves,  because  the  young  trees  must  have  a  chance  to  grow,  for  unless 


NORTH  CAKOLINA  FORESTRY  ASSOCIATION  25 

there  is  young  growth  and  abundance  of  it  there  can  be  no  trees  to  take  the 
place  of  the  old  ones  when  they  are  cut. 

The  chief  injury  to  our  forests  from  cattle,  however,  is  an  indirect  one, 
not  only  in  the  mountains,  but  wherever  the  stock  law  is  not  in  force.  Every 
year  fires  are  set  out  and  thousands  of  acres  are  burnt  over  in  practically 
every  county  in  which  the  cattle  still  run  at  large,  the  reason  given  being  that 
"it  improves  the  range."  There  is  no  more  widespread  or  fallacious  argument 
advanced  as  an  excuse  for  burning  the  woods  than  this.  And  the  only  basis 
for  it  is  that  the  young  herbage,  having  no  old  growth  to  cover  it,  is  available 
for  the  stock  somewhat  earlier  in  the  spring  if  the  ground  is  burnt  over  in  the 
winter.  The  total  effect  of  burning  the  range  is  very  harmful,  not  only  to 
the  woods,  but  to  the  range  itself.  The  soils  get  poorer  and  poorer  year  by 
year  by  the  destruction  of  all  vegetable  matter,  while  the  better  quality  of 
forage  plants  are  seriously  injured  or  killed  out  by  the  fire.  The  quantity  of 
the  poorer  kinds  of  grass  which  make  only  early  spring  pasture,  may  be 
slightly  increased  by  killing  out  the  young  trees  and  bushes,  but  the  other 
forage  plants,  such  as  the  beggar  lice  and  other  peas,  on  which  the  stock 
fatten  in  the  fall,  are  seriously  injured  or  killed  out  entirely  by  fire. 

The  sooner  the  whole  State  comes  under  the  operation  of  the  stock  law,  the 
better  it  will  be,  not  only  for  the  State  at  large,  but  more  especially  for  those 
parts  that  are  now  without  its  advantages.  The  chief  thing  lacking  to  make 
many  parts  of  North  Carolina  prosperous  agricultural  regions  is  the  enforce- 
ment of  a  stock  law.  Only  by  putting  all  the  land  to  its  highest  use,  namely, 
by  cultivating  thoroughly  and  raising  as  much  stock  and  feed  as  possible  on 
the  cleared  land,  and  by  keeping  the  woodland  in  the  best  possible  condition 
by  excluding  fire  and  stock,  can  the  present  and  future  prosperity  of  a  com- 
munity or  a  State  be  assured.  If  it  is  impossible  to  bring  the  whole  State 
under  a  stock  law,  there  should  be  a  law  passed  which  would  make  it  obliga- 
tory on  those  counties  which  do  not  wish  a  stock  law  to  fence  themselves  . 
from  the  counties  that  adopt  the  stock  law.  Thus  the  counties  which  wish 
the  open  range  would  be  compelled  to  build  a  fence  entirely  around  the 
county,  and  also  be  compelled  to  keep  up  these  fences. 

The  forestry  work  that  the  State  Geological  and  Economic  Survey  is  doing 
can  be  very  much  increased  and  assisted  by  the  North  Carolina  Forestry  Asso- 
ciation, and  as  State  Geologist  I  can  assure  this  Association  of  the  most 
hearty  cooperation  of  the  Survey  in  the  great  work  that  this  Association  is 
undertaking. 

Attorney-General  T.  W.  Bickett,  who  was  on  the  program  for  an 
address  on  the  "Forest  Fire  Laws  of  N'orth  Carolina,"  explained  that 
owing  to  insufficient  notice  having  been  given  him  he  had  been  unable 
to  prepare  a  paper.  He,  however,  showed  his  interest  in  the  question  by 
attending,  and  offered  his  services  to  the  Association  in  drafting  any 
necessary  laws  which  the  Association  might  recommend.  The  Presi- 
dent then  appointed  the  following  committees : 

Committee  on  Resolutions. — Mr.  E.  B.  Wright,  Mr.  C.  P.  Heyward, 
Professor  J.  F.  Webb,  Dr.  F.  P.  Yenable,  Mr.  Hugh  MacKae. 

FQREST  RESOUfii 


26  SECOND   ANNUAL    CONVENTION 

Committee  on  Nominations. — Mr.  Alston  Grimes,  Miss  Annie  F. 
Petty,  Dr.  C.  H.  Herty,  Mr.  W.  S.  Pharr,  Mr.  C.  C.  Smoot,  III. 

Auditing  Committee.— Mr.  D.  A.  White,  Mr.  K.  E.  Gotten,  Mr.  Z.  W. 
Whitehead. 

The  Gonvention  then  adjourned  to  meet  at  three  o'clock. 

Afternoon  Session. 

The  afternoon  session  was  called  to  order  by  President  Hill  at  3  :10 
o'clock,  in  the  Hall  of  the  House  of  Eepresentatives.  Mr.  Alston 
Grimes,  of  Pitt  Gounty,  a  vice-president  of  the  Association,  was  intro- 
duced and  gave  an  interesting  talk  on  the  profits  in  forest  management 
in  Pitt  Gounty,  and  the  efforts  being  made  to  keep  out  fires. 

He  told  first  of  a  neighbor  of  his  who  bought  a  tract  of  land  for  $500 
from  which  he  had  sold  $3,500  worth  of  timber,  retaining  still  the  land 
and  much  of  the  timber.  The  neighbor,  he  said,  had  preserved  the 
forests  by  prohibiting  hunting.  "I  have  not  been  successful  myself  in 
this  respect,"  Mr.  Grimes  said,  "but  after  giving  written  permission  I 
do  not  allow  the  hunter  to  carry  an  axe  and  chop  the  'possum  tree  down." 

Mr,  Grimes  said  he  required  all  of  his  tenants  to  pay  five  dollars  an 
acre  when  fire  is  allowed  to  run  over  land  for  which  they  are  responsible. 
"They  think  it  is  a  hardship  at  first,  but  agree  afterwards  that  it  is  the 
right  thing." 

Mr.  G.  G.  Smoot,  III,  of  Wilkes  Gounty,  another  vice-president,  then 
gave  a  short  account  of  the  Wilkes  way  of  fighting  fires  where  a  neigh- 
borhood war  was  waged  against  the  blazes  of  the  community.  He  said 
he  had  become  greatly  interested  in  the  fight  against  the  blight  which  is 
killing  the  chestnut  trees  in  the  States  to  the  north  of  us  and  which 
threatens  to  invade  our  own  State. 

Mrs.  Al  Fairbrother,  a  delegate  from  the  Woman's  Glub  of  Greens- 
boro, was  then  called  upon  by  the  President  to  say  a  word  upon  the 
subject  from  the  viewpoint  of  the  ladies.  She  said  she  had  not  come  as 
a  speaker  or  as  a  suggester,  but  as  a  learner.  She  said  that  the  Woman's 
Glub  in  Greensboro  was  going  upon  the  principle  that  one  of  the  chief 
civic  works  was  to  educate  the  children  in  conservation.  She  told  of  some 
of  the  work  done  by  the  ladies  of  Greensboro,  such  as  the  recent  estab- 
lishment of  a  children's  playground  there,  which  is  the  first  public  play- 
ground in  North  Garolina.  This  was  accomplished  entirely  through  the 
work  of  the  Givie  Association. 

The  President  then  called  on  Mr.  W.  D.  Johnson,  a  colored  man  who 
is  Agent  of  the  United  States  Forest  Service  now  temporarily  stationed 


NOKTH  CAKOLINA  FORESTRY  ASSOCIATION  27 

at  the  colored  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  College  at  Greensboro,  to 
say  a  few  words  about  the  interest  of  our  colored  citizens  in  forest  pro- 
tection. 

Mr.  Johnson  declared  that  as  poor  a  man  as  he  is,  he  would  have 
declined  a  gift  of  $500  rather  than  have  been  kept  from  this  meeting. 
He  was  born  in  the  old  country,  he  said,  and  had  not  known  what  the 
dominant  race  has  done  for  the  colored  people  until  he  came  to  the 
South.  "I  want  to  say,"  he  said,  "that  not  half  what  has  been  written 
and  said  about  this  question  is  true."  He  declared  that  as  an  agricul- 
tural race,  a  knowledge  of  forestry  would  be  a  great  help  to  them. 

Mr.  J,  G.  Peters,  Chief  of  State  Cooperation  in  the  United  States 
Forest  Service,  who  had  come  down  from  Washington  especially  for  the 
meeting,  then  made  an  address  on  "State  Cooperation  in  Fire  Protection 
With  the  United  States,  Under  the  Weeks  Law." 

COOPERATIVE  FIEE  PROTECTIO?f  UNDER  THE  WEEKS  LAW. 

By  J.  G.  Peters,  United  States  Forest  Service. 
Members  of  the  North  Carolina  Forestry  Association,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen: 

The  protection  of  our  forests  from  fire  is  receiving  increased  attention 
throughout  the  country.  It  is  the  result  not  only  of  the  enormous  amounts 
of  timber  destroyed,  but  especially  of  the  constantly  growing  value  of  timber. 
The  loss  in  the  coniferous  forests  of  the  North  is  frequently  the  destruction 
of  the  merchantable  timber  itself,  while  in  the  pine  and  hardwood  forests  of 
the  South  the  chief  damage  is  the  repeated  killing  of  young  growth,  especially 
on  cut-over  lands.  This  young  growth  has  a  very  great  future  value,  for  upon 
it  depends  the  permanency  of  the  lumber  industry  in  the  region. 

Fire  also  destroys  the  soil  covering,  causing  rapid  run-off  on  steep  slopes 
and  erosion  is  chiefly  the  origin  of  sediment  in  the  channels  of  navigable 
streams.  This  injury  to  streamflow  and  navigation  furnishes  ground  for 
active  assistance  from  the  Federal  Government.  A  year  ago  Congress  passed 
the  Weeks  law,  section  2  of  which  is  designed  to  authorize  this  assistance. 

The  purpose  of  this  section  of  the  law  is  primarily  to  protect  navigable 
streams,  and  secondly  to  promote  forest  protection  by  the  States  and  private 
owners.  The  appropriation  for  the  purpose  is  $200,000,  which  is  available 
until  expended.  The  law  requires  that  (1)  the  protection  must  be  confined 
to  the  forested  watersheds  of  navigable  streams;  (2)  the  State  must  have 
provided  by  law  for  a  system  of  forest  fire  protection;  and  (3)  the  Federal 
expenditure  in  any  State  must  not  exceed  in  any  Federal  fiscal  year  the 
amount  appropriated  by  the  State  for  the  same  purpose  for  the  same  fiscal 
year. 

The  law  is  administered  by  the  Forest  Service  under  an  agreement  between 
the  Secretary  of  Agriculture  and  the  State. 

A  broad  interpretation  has  been  placed  on  what  constitutes  a  navigable 
stream,  and  in  every  case  the  stream  is  given  the  benefit  of  any  doubt.  How- 
ever, streams  used  only  for  floating  logs,  canoes  or  rowboats  are  not  consid- 


28  SECONB   ANNUAL    CONVENTION 

ered  navigable.  As  a  general  basis  for  decisions  on  the  question  of  naviga- 
bility the  reports  of  the  Chief  of  Engineers,  United  States  Army,  are  used. 

The  work  is  being  conducted  on  a  conservative  basis  and  the  fund  available 
for  the  purpose  used  so  as  to  encourage  local  effort  in  as  many  different 
States  as  possible.  The  educational  value  of  the  work  is  very  great,  and  the 
Government  desires  every  State  that  can  fulfill  the  requirements  to  receive  a 
share  of  the  fund.  Our  policy  is  to  make  the  appropriation  last  three  years. 
The  expenditures  in  1911  were  practically  $39,000.  The  allotments  for  1912 
will  aggregate  about  $70,000.  No  State  receives  more  than  $10,000  in  any 
one  year. 

The  aim  is  to  assist  each  State  as  far  as  possible,  helping  especially  the  one 
that  has  a  hard  time  helping  itself.  The  State  that  can  make  only  a  small 
appropriation  may  have  it  duplicated,  while  the  one  that  has  an  appropriation 
which  is  relatively  very  large  and  can  of  itself  provide  safe  protection  must 
expect  a  relatively  small  allotment. 

The  cooperative  agreement  provides  that  the  State  supply  the  Service  with  a 
comprehensive  fire  plan,  including  maps  showing  the  areas  to  be  protected, 
the  headquarters  and  approximate  routes  of  patrolmen,  and  all  features  nec- 
essary to  a  clear  understanding  of  the  State's  plan  of  fire  control. 

The  expenditures  made  by  the  Federal  Government  are  exclusively  for  the 
salaries  of  patrolmen,  including  men  assigned  to  lookout  duty,  railroad  patrol, 
and  the  like.  This  is  advisable  in  order  to  simplify  the  Federal  inspection 
of  the  work.  The  expenditures  of  the  State,  which  are  to  offset  those  of  the 
Federal  Government,  may,  however,  properly  include  any  expenditure  for  the 
purpose  of  protecting  forested  watersheds  of  navigable  streams  from  fire. 
The  construction  of  lookout  stations  or  other  protective  facilities  and  propor- 
tionate amounts  of  supervisory  expenses  are  proper  charges  on  the  part  of 
the  State  against  the  expenditures  made  by  the  Federal  Government.  A  dis- 
tinction is  made  between  State  patrolmen  and  Federal  patrolmen,  which 
facilitates  keeping  separate  the  work  charged  to  the  State  and  that  charged 
to  the  Federal  Government. 

The  State  Forester  or  similar  oflBcer  is  given  a  Forest  Service  appointment, 
which  permits  him  to  employ  Federal  patrolmen  and  certify  to  their  services 
on  Government  vouchers.  He  is  given  as  much  authority  and  latitude  as  pos- 
sible in  the  expenditure  of  Federal  funds.  The  Forest  Service  places  him  in 
practically  the  same  position  as  a  National  Forest  Supervisor  by  allowing  him 
a  wide  degree  of  discretion  while  at  the  same  time  making  him  fully  account- 
able for  results.  He  selects  the  Federal  patrolmen,  instructs  them  in  their 
duties,  and  supervises  their  work. 

The  Federal  patrolmen  must  have  such  police  powers  for  the  prevention 
and  control  of  forest  fires  as  the  laws  of  the  State  provide;  they  must  be 
authorized  to  employ  assistance  in  fighting  fires;  and  they  must  be  equipped 
with  fire  fighting  tools. 

The  Forest  Service  inspects  the  cooperative  work  on  the  protected  areas, 
and  can  withdraw  its  approval  of  any  area  or  terminate  the  employment  of 
the  State  officer  or  any  Federal  patrolman. 


NORTH  CAROLINA  FORESTRY  ASSOCIATION 


29 


The  States  which  received  Federal  aid  under  the  Weeks  law  in  1911,  and 
the  amounts  expended  by  the  Government  and  the  States  are  shown  in  the 
following  summary: 


♦State 
Expenditures 

Federal 
Expenditures 

Allotment 
to  States 

Unexpended 

State 

Balance 
of  Allotment 

Balance  of 
$200,000  Fund 
Jan.  1,  1912 

Maine 

New  Hampshire 

Vermont- 

Massachusetts 

Connecticut 

8       23,557.07 

13,876.21 

2,243.90 

400.12 

513.96 

3,837.59 

$         9,991.80 

6,219.50 

1,218.00 

365.00 

6.00 

2,000.00 

990.00 

261.00 

4,437.25 

10,000.00 

3,305.00 

1        10,000.00     $                8.20 
7,200.00  !                 980.50 
2,000.00  j                 782.00 
1,800.00                1,435.00 
1,000.00                   994.00 
2,000.00                       0.00 
1,000.00  1                   10.00 

New  Jersey 

1,241.50 

262.85 

20,841.87 

25,675.77 

8,758.89 

Maryland. 

600.00 
5,000.00 
10,000.00 
5,000.00 

339.00 
562.75 

0.00 

1,695.00 

Total 

$      101,209.73 

$       38,793.55 

$        45,600.00 

$          6,806.45 

$        161,206.45 

*  As  shown  on  State  vouchers  or  statements  forwarded  with  Federal  vouchers.  These^vouchers 
are  not  necessarily  the  total  State  expenditures. 

The  watersheds  that  received  cooperative  protection  were  the  following: 

Maine — Narraguagus,  Union,  Penobscot,  and  Kennebec. 
New  Hampshire— Androscoggin,  Saco,  Connecticut,  and  Merrimac. 
Vermont — Connecticut,  Otter  Creek,  and  Hudson. 

Massachusetts — Nashua,  Thames,  Connecticut,  Housatonic,  and  Hudson. 
Connecticut — Thames,  Connecticut,  and  Housatonic. 
New  York — Hudson  and  Delaware. 

New  Jersey — Hackensack,  Passaic,  Delaware,  and  Raritan. 
Maryland — Potomac  and  Youghiogheny. 

Wisconsin — Chippewa  and  Wisconsin  (headwaters  of  the  Mississippi). 
Minnesota — St.  Louis,  Rainy,  Mississippi,  and  Red  River  of  the  North. 
Oregon — Columbia,   Williamette,   Nehalem,  Wilson,   Siletz,   Umpqua,   Coos, 
Rogue,  and  Klamath. 

There  were  five  hundred  and  nine  Federal  patrolmen  employed,  of  which 
about  two  hundred  were  on  continuous  pay  from  the  date  of  appointment  to 
the  end  of  the  season.  They  received  from  $2  to  |2.50  a  day.  Each  had  a  dis- 
trict to  guard  varying  in  area  from  about  25,000  to  100,000  acres.  Without 
necessarily  attempting  to  cover  the  whole  district  he  made  his  rounds  of  the 
dangerous  places  on  the  most  valuable  areas  at  the  most  advantageous  times. 
The  routes  he  followed  varied  from  ten  to  forty  miles  a  day,  depending  on  the 
method  of  travel,  usually  on  foot,  horseback,  or  bicycle,  whichever  was  the 
most  feasible.  Along  the  railroads,  except  where  oil  was  burned,  there  was  a 
special  and  continuous  patrol,  in  some  places  on  foot  and  in  others  on  veloci- 
pede or  bicycle. 


30  SECOXD    ANNUAL    CONVENTION 

The  patrolman  carried  a  map  of  his  district  and  adjoining  districts,  show- 
ing the  major  topographic  features,  approximate  location  of  the  Federal  and 
State  patrol  routes,  patrolman's  and  fire  warden's  headquarters,  and  such 
improvements  as  telephone  lines,  lookout  stations,  roads,  trails,  tool  supply 
boxes,  and  the  like,  as  might  be  necessary  to  aid  him  in  emergency.  He  also 
carried  some  fire  fighting  tool  like  a  shovel  or  collapsible  canvas  pail. 

The  most  important  duties  of  the  patrolman  were  putting  out  small  fires, 
warning  persons  he  met  of  the  fire  danger,  and  recording  their  names  where- 
ever  advisable.  In  the  case  of  larger  fires,  where  assistance  was  necessary,  he 
had  authority  under  the  State  law  to  call  out  help  to  extinguish  them. 

Often  fires  were  left  unextinguished  by  camping  parties;  fishermen  stopped 
to  cook  a  meal  and  left  the  fire  burning;  many  fires  were  also  caused  by 
smokers  and  locomotives.  The  patrolmen  found  hundreds  of  such  fires  as 
these  on  their  routes  last  season  and  extinguished  them. 

In  addition  to  regular  patrol  duty  and  fire  fighting,  there  was  other  work, 
which  included  the  watching  for  fires  from  lookout  stations,  burning  slash, 
and  constructing  protective  improvements. 

Besides  the  practical  tangible  results  of  the  cooperation  under  the  Weeks 
law,  which  have  been  apparent  from  the  start,  its  educational  value,  although 
not  measurable,  has  been  far  reaching  in  effect.  Except  in  a  few  States,  last 
year  was  the  first  that  any  systematic  patrol  of  the  forests  by  the  State  had 
ever  been  done.  It  marked  the  general  extension  of  the  State  organization, 
in  cooperation  with  the  Federal  Government,  getting  out  among  the  people; 
educating  them,  through  the  actual  work  done,  in  the  need  of  fire  protection, 
and  soliciting  their  cooperation. 

The  most  effective  work  of  the  patrolmen  was  in  warning  persons  met  in  the 
woods  of  the  danger  from  fire  and  informing  them  about  the  fire  laws.  The 
patrolmen  were  instructed  generally  to  record  the  names  and  addresses  of 
fishermen,  hunters,  and  campers  wherever  possible,  and  send  them  to  the 
district  chief.  In  New  Hampshire,  for  example,  4,200  warnings  of  this  sort 
were  given.  Over  half  the  names  were  recorded  and  are  now  on  file  in  the 
office  of  the  State  Forestry  Commission.  Before  the  next  fire  season  a  copy 
of  the  fire  laws  will  be  sent  to  each  of  these  persons.  The  educational  value 
of  this  work  can  not  be  questioned. 

The  result  of  the  warnings  given  and  the  other  protective  measures  adopted 
is  that  the  public  is  coming  to  know  something  about  the  forest  fire  laws  of 
the  State  and  the  practical  value  of  fire  protection.  Loggers  and  those  who 
traveled  the  woods  began  taking  greater  care  in  the  use  of  fire;  quicker  noti- 
fications of  fire  were  given  to  the  proper  State  officers,  where  before  they  had 
at  best  been  desultory;  in  many  cases  private  owners,  who  were  skeptical  at 
the  start,  later  saw  the  practical  value  of  the  work  and  began  contributing  to 
it  by  the  hire  of  patrolmen,  building  lookout  stations,  and  the  like;  and  the 
increased  interest  of  the  public  was  shown  by  the  widespread  demand  for 
information  on  fire  protection  received  by  the  various  State  foresters  and  the 
Federal  Forest  Service. 

The  first  question  that  naturally  occurs  to  one  looking  for  measurable  re- 
sults is  just  how  far  the  expenditures  succeeded  in  saving  possible  losses. 
Maine  and  New  Hampshire  furnish  very  good  examples  of  comparative  losses 
in  1911  and  1903,  two  of  the  most  dangerous  fire  years  on  record  in  these 


NORTH  CAROLINA  FORESTRY  ASSOCIATION 


31 


States,  on  the  watersheds  where  cooperative  fire  protection  was  established 
last  year  by  the  State  and  the  timberland  owners  with  the  Federal  Gov- 
ernment. 


Season  of 
Drought 

Maine 

New  Hampshire 

Acres  Burned 

Damage 

Acres  Burned          Damage 

1911 1 
1903 

April  16-June     1 
June  20— July   17 
April   17— June    6 

}              91,471 
172,040 

$            154,284 
679,423 

10,925     £               34,036 
84,255                    200,000 

While  the  danger  season  of  1911  was  the  longer,  and  was  considered  gen- 
erally to  be  the  more  severe,  still  the  area  burned  over  and  the  value  of  the 
damage  were  considerably  less  than  in  1903.  This  is  very  significant.  The 
decrease  can  unquestionably  be  attributed  largely  to  the  protection  afforded 
in  1911  as  compared  with  the  almost  utter  lack  of  it,  except  by  some  few 
private  owners,  in  1903. 

The  Federal  Government  desires  to  extend  this  cooperative  protection  to 
other  States.  To  secure  its  benefits  they  must  enact  a  forest  fire  law  and  appro- 
priate funds  for  administering  it.  There  are  many  States  which  could  take 
hardly  a  more  effective  step  toward  the  conservation  of  resources  which 
support  important  industries  than  to  inaugurate  systematic  fire  protection. 
The  fact  that  the  immediate  financial  interests  of  timber  owners  make  them 
backward  in  undertaking  this  insurance  of  their  industry  is  an  additional 
reason  for  the  States  to  take  the  lead.  The  readiness  of  the  Federal  Govern- 
ment to  cooperate  with  the  States,  under  the  terms  of  the  Weeks  law,  as  soon 
as  they  make  a  start  is  an  incentive  to  immediate  action. 

A  State  fire  law  should  provide,  in  addition  to  an  organization  to  fight  fires, 
a  patrol  force  to  prevent  fires,  as  far  as  possible,  from  starting.  The  law 
should,  of  course,  carry  an  adequate  appropriation.  A  general  defect  in  State 
forest  fire  laws  is  that  they  provide  only  for  fighting  fires  and  not  for  a  patrol. 
Their  most  serious  handicap  is  the  inadequacy  of  the  appropriations.  To 
protect  the  national  forests  costs  about  two  cents  an  acre  annually;  the  Bilt- 
more  tract  in  this  State,  about  five  cents  an  acre;  and  the  lands  of  the  various 
timberland  protective  associations  in  the  northeastern  and  northwestern 
States,  from  two  to  four  cents  an  acre.  It  is  probable  that  a  State  can  secure 
eflicient  protection  for  one  cent  an  acre,  if  the  larger  private  owners  will 
assist  by  contributing  toward  the  protection  of  their  own  lands.  If,  for  ex- 
ample, a  State  has  five  million  acres  that  need  protection,  an  annual  expendi- 
ture of  $50,000  should  be  sufficient  to  handle  the  work  effectively.  It  is  im- 
probable that  the  State  would  appropriate  this  amount  at  the  beginning.  An 
appropriation  of  $10,000  or  even  less  would  be  sufficient  to  start  the  work  and 
demonstrate  its  value. 

It  will  interest  you  to  know  what  the  States  appropriate  yearly  for  fire  pro- 
tection. Maine  appropriates  $68,000,  New  Hampshire  $12,000,  Vermont  $2,300, 
Massachusetts  $10,000,  Connecticut  $2,000,  New  York  $100,000,  New  Jersey 
$15,000,  Pennsylvania  $50,000,  Maryland  $1,500,  Michigan  $10,000,  Wisconsin 
$35,000,  Minnesota  $75,000,  Idaho  $12,000,  Washington  $38,000,  and  Oregon 
$30,000. 


32  SECOND   ANNUAL    CONVENTION 

I  can  not  urge  too  strongly  the  adoption  by  North  Carolina  of  a  forest  fire 
protective  system  with  an  adequate  appropriation  to  meet  its  expenses.  The 
State,  which  is  so  rich  in  timber  resources,  can  then  avail  itself  of  the  bene- 
fits offered  by  the  Weeks  law. 

At  the  request  of  the  President  the  discussion  on  Mr.  Peters'  paper 
was  postponed  until  after  the  next  paper,  which  gives  a  view  of  the  same 
subject  from  the  standpoint  of  one  of  the  States  which  is  now  cooperat- 
ing with  the  Pederal  Government  in  fire  protection. 

In  the  unavoidable  absence  of  Mr.  F.  W.  Besley,  State  Forester  of 
Maryland,  his  paper  was  read  by  the  Secretary.    His  paper  follows : 

FOREST  PROTECTION  AS  APPLIED  IN  MARYLAND  UNDER  THE 
WEEKS  LAW. 

By  F.  W.  Besley,  State  Forester  of  Maryland. 

The  limited  way  in  which  Maryland  has  been  able  to  participate  in  the 
benefits  of  the  "Weeks  law  has  shown  that  it  is  a  good  thing  and  makes  us 
anxious  to  do  more  along  this  line.  Since  forest  conditions  in  North  Caro- 
lina are  somewhat  similar  to  those  in  Maryland,  our  experience  in  this  con- 
nection may  have  some  suggestive  value,  at  least. 

In  order  that  any  State  may  take  advantage  of  the  cooperative  offer  of  the 
Federal  Government  in  fire  protection,  there  are  three  conditions  that  must 
be  fulfilled.  First,  the  State  must  have  adequate  fire  laws,  giving  full  author- 
ity for  inaugurating  a  policy  of  forest  protection;  second,  there  must  be  a 
suitable  organization  for  carrying  into  effect  these  laws,  that  full  benefits 
may  be  secured;  and  third,  the  State  itself  must  appropriate  money  for  the 
purpose  of  fire  protection,  as  the  Federal  Government,  under  the  Weeks  law, 
will  not,  in  any  case,  spend  more  money  than  the  State  spends  for  the  same 
purpose  during  the  same  time. 

There  are  certain  other  limitations  upon  the  expenditure  of  the  Federal 
allotments,  such  as  limiting  it  to  patrol  and  lookout  station  work,  on  the 
watersheds  of  navigable  streams  in  the  mountain  sections,  but  under  condi- 
tions that  exist  in  Maryland  and  in  North  Carolina  these  limitations  will 
probably  not  reduce  the  usefulness  of  the  work. 

Maryland  has  a  good  forest  fire  law  and  a  forest  warden  system  for  putting 
the  law  into  effect.  The  State  has  been  expending  about  $1,200  annually  for 
forest  fire  protection,  so  that  we  were  able  to  take  advantage,  to  a  small 
extent,  of  the  Federal  cooperation.  An  arrangement  was  made  for  the  fall  of 
1911,  whereby  the  State  allotted  $600  and  the  Federal  Government  a  like  sum 
for  fire  protection.  Seven  mounted  patrolmen  were  employed  at  three  dollars 
per  day  to  patrol  on  days  when  the  woods  were  dry  enough  for  fires  to  burn. 
The  patrolmen  were  selected  by  the  State  Forester  and  worked  under  his 
direction,  so  that  there  was  no  interference  whatever  with  the  State  forest 
organization.  These  men  were  selected  with  great  care,  for  the  work  that 
they  were  called  upon  to  do  required  tact  in  dealing  with  the  mountain  peo- 
ple. Furthermore,  the  number  of  patrolmen  employed  and  the  amount  of 
money  available  was  so  small  that  close  supervision  was  not  practicable; 
hence  the  necessity  of  securing  men  that  could  be  fully  relied  upon. 


NORTH  CAROLINA  FORESTRY  ASSOCIATION  33 

The  fall  of  1911  was  unusually  wet,  so  that  the  efficiency  of  the  patrol  work 
was  not  fully  tested.  Only  eight  fires  were  reported  during  the  season. 
These  were  all  small  fires,  discovered  by  the  patrolmen  soon  after  they  started 
and  promptly  extinguished  before  any  serious  damage  was  done.  The  fact 
that  these  small  fires  were  discovered  and  extinguished  before  they  assumed 
serious  proportions  demonstrates  fully  the  value  of  the  patrol  service.  Under 
our  forest  warden  system,  the  Forest  Warden  is  not  authorized  to  incur  any 
expense  in  patrol  work,  or  to  do  anything  until  after  the  fire  has  been  reported 
to  him,  and,  generally,  the  fire  has  done  considerable  damage  and  is  difficult  to 
control  by  the  time  it  comes  to  the  attention  of  the  Forest  Warden.  Under 
the  patrol  system  this  trouble  is  largely  overcome,  and  certainly  for  the 
mountain  district,  where  there  is  a  large  percentage  of  woodland  in  continu- 
ous bodies,  the  patrol  system  is  the  practical  method  of  dealing  with  the  forest 
fire  question.  The  State  Forester  outlined  for  the  forest  patrolmen  and  the 
regular  State  forest  wardens,  a  plan  of  cooperation  by  which  each  was  to 
work  in  harmony,  and  it  is  gratifying  to  report  that  this  plan,  so  far  as  it 
could  be  observed  under  the  limited  opportunities  for  action  this  fall,  worked 
out  very  satisfactorily. 

EDUCATIONAL  VALUE  OF   THE   WORK. 

Considerable  stress  was  laid  upon  the  educational  feature  of  the  work 
during  the  past  season.  The  patrolmen  were  provided  with  printed  matter 
relating  to  our  forest  fire  laws  and  fire  protection,  and  they  were  instructed 
to  avail  themselves  of  every  opportunity  to  place  this  literature  in  the  hands 
of  landowners  in  their  district  and  to  talk  with  them  on  the  subject  of  fire 
protection.  While  it  is  difficult  to  measure  the  effect  of  this  work,  it  is 
believed  that  it  has  been  instrumental  in  securing  a  more  thorough  coopera- 
tion on  the  part  of  the  landowners  of  the  mountains  in  suppressing  forest 
fires.  The  landowners  have,  in  every  case,  shown  their  willingness  to  co- 
operate, and  now  that  their  attention  has  been  called  to  the  forest  laws,  and 
the  determination  on  the  part  of  the  State  and  Federal  governments  to  aid 
them  in  securing  fire  protection,  they  have  been  encouraged  to  hold  an  en- 
tirely different  view  toward  the  forest  fire  question.  It  was  just  such  work 
as  this  which  was  required  to  crystallize  the  sentiment  and  make  it  effective. 
The  forest  patrolmen  not  only  visited  the  landowners  in  their  districts,  posted 
warning  notices,  and  warned  the  careless,  but  also  visited  the  schoolhouses 
and  got  the  teachers  interested.  Our  forest  laws  are  sufficiently  compre- 
hensive to  cover  the  situation  and  to  meet  any  emergency  that  may  arise, 
but  it  is  just  such  an  agency  as  this  patrol  which  creates  a  public  sentiment 
that  will  make  their  enforcement  certain.  The  fact  that  the  Federal  Gov- 
ernment is  paying  men  to  patrol  the  woodlands  and  enforce  the  forest  fire 
laws  carries  with  it  a  dignity  and  force  which  can  not  fail  to  arouse  the 
admiration  and  good  will  of  the  people  generally.  I  feel  reasonably  certain 
that  these  results  have  been  secured  in  the  Maryland  work. 

VALUE  OF  FEDERAL  COOPERATION  IN  FIRE  PROTECTION. 

Under  present  conditions  in  Maryland,  the  State  can  not  fail  to  appreciate 
fully  the  cooperation  of  the  Federal  Government.     As  has  been  stated,  our 
forest  laws  are  excellent  in  many  respects.     The  Forest  Warden  Service  has 
3 


34  SECOND    ANNUAL    CONVENTION 

been  in  operation  for  some  time,  but  the  whole  system  has  shown  its  weak- 
ness in  not  making  any  provision  for  Are  patrol  and  an  utter  lack  of  funds 
to  carry  on  the  protective  work.  The  cooperation  of  the  Federal  Government, 
under  the  Weeks  law,  solves  for  us  one  of  these  great  questions,  namely,  the 
forest  patrol.  Outside  of  the  mountain  counties  the  forests  are  generally 
held  in  woodlots,  or  isolated  wooded  tracts,  where  a  fire  patrol  is  less  im- 
portant. With  the  Federal  cooperation,  however,  we  are  able  to  meet  this 
situation  without  a  change  in  our  forest  laws.  The  question,  however,  of 
increased  appropriations  for  fire  protection  work  is  yet  unsolved,  but  the 
fact  that  the  Government  has  agreed  to  practically  duplicate  the  amount  we 
spend  for  fire  protection  purposes  is  the  strongest  kind  of  an  argument  that 
could  be  used  for  securing  a  special  appropriation  for  forest  protection  from 
the  Legislature  this  winter.  The  very  limited  amount  that  we  had  to  expend 
has  greatly  curtailed  the  amount  that  could  be  secured  from  the  Federal 
Government,  but  it  has  strikingly  shown  the  need  of  extending  the  work. 

A  general  discussion  of  the  subject  of  cooperative  fire  protection 
under  the  Weeks  law  was  then  taken  up,  Mr.  Alston  Grimes  and  Mr. 
E.  A.  Blake  of  the  Norfolk  and  Western  Railway  taking  a  prominent 
part.  In  answer  to  a  question,  Mr.  Peters  said  that  the  implements  of 
warfare  in  firefighting  were  the  hoe,  the  rake,  and  the  collapsible  canvas 
bag.  In  regard  to  the  j)ay  we  shall  give  to  patrolmen,  he  said  that 
various  wages  were  paid,  some  receiving  compensation  by  the  hour, 
others  by  the  month.  He  declared  that  volunteers  are  supported  by  the 
State  and  compensation  to  them  varies  from  fifteen  cents  or  twenty  cents 
to  fifty  cents  an  hour. 

Mr.  Hugh  MacRae,  of  Wilmington,  then  read  an  address  on  the 
"Stock  Law  and  Forest  Protection,"  prefacing  his  remarks  with  the 
statement  that  his  subject  was  not  a  popular  one,  and  giving  as  one  of 
his  reasons  that  men  are  not  naturally  lovers  of  effort. 

THE  STOCK  LAW  AND  FOREST  PEOTECTIO^. 

By  Hugh  MacRae. 

The  question  of  Stock  Law  in  its  relation  to  forestry  is  so  simple  that  it 
could  be  covered  by  a  few  emphatic  sentences,  but  as  this  would  savor  of 
dogmatism  and  would  not  further  the  economic  interests  which  we  have  met 
here  to  consider,  I  am  going  to  ask  you  to  let  me  surround  the  bare  statement 
of  facts  with  certain  bits  of  information  which  I  hope  will  emphasize  the 
importance  of  this  subject. 

I  shall  speak  of  the  longleaf  pine  forests  of  the  coastal  plain,  because  the 
problem  there  is  simple  and  will  serve  very  well  to  illustrate  the  subject.  As 
to  these  forests  of  the  coastal  plain,  could  Nature  have  been  more  prodigal? 
Could  we  have  been  less  appreciative?  Here  is  a  tree,  the  longleaf  pine,  of 
the  very  highest  economic  value,  absolutely  suited  to  soil  and  climate,  which 
Nature  insists  on  reproducing. 


NORTH  CAROLINA  FORESTRY  ASSOCIATION  35 

One  growing  or  defective  tree,  left  standing  for  two  or  three  years  after  itfj 
fellows  are  taken,  will  reforest  two  or  three  acres  of  ground.*  The  pine  burrs 
begin  to  pop  open  on  the  coming  of  cold  weather  in  October  or  November  and 
scatter  the  winged  seed  or  "mast,"  which  is  whirled  in  every  direction  by  the 
prevailing  winds  of  the  winter.  Almost  every  seed  can  germinate,  for  it  falls 
on  an  ideal  seed  bed  of  sandy  loam,  which  is  kept  almost  constantly  moist 
by  the  frequent  rains. 

After  a  few  warm  days  the  seed  sprouts  and  puts  down  its  small  tap  root. 
As  soon  as  the  tap  root  digs  its  way  into  the  sand  it  performs  one  of  the 
miracles  of  Nature  by  straightening  up  and  lifting  the  mother  seed  into  the 
air.  Now  the  little  tree  is  nourished  from  below  and  fed  from  above.  It  is  fed 
through  the  tips  of  the  pine  needles  until  all  proper  dangers  are  passed;  and 
with  the  warm  days  of  spring  it  soon  is  six  inches  high,  and  by  fall  it  is  firmly 
established  in  the  soil. 

Compare  this  with  the  slow,  expensive  process  of  reforesting  in  Europe 
(with  trees  of  far  less  value),  where  each  tree  is  planted  and  replanted  by 
hand. 

It  may  be  interesting  to  you  to  know  that  while  I  have  been  accustomed 
to  going  into  the  woods  all  my  life,  I  never  had  the  opportunity  to  observe 
the  growth  of  the  young  longleaf  pine  from  the  seed,  as  above  described,  until 
after  the  stock  law  was  passed  in  New  Hanover  County  a  few  years  ago. 
The  hogs  ran  at  large  in  that  county  and  were  so  strenuous  that  they  suc- 
ceeded in  making  this  phenomenon  one  rarely  to  be  observed.  Now  you 
can  see  the  longleaf  pine  reproduce  itself  everywhere. 

Recently  a  gentleman  from  New  York,  who  spoke  Italian  fluently,  was 
questioning  an  Italian  at  St.  Helena  about  the  results  obtained  from  the 
vineyards  of  the  colony.  It  was  noticeable  that  the  Italian  replied  with 
great  enthusiasm,  and  later  when  the  gentleman  was  asked  what  was  said  he 
replied  that  there  were  no  expressions  in  English  to  give  the  exact  idea;  but 
as  near  as  he  could  express  it  the  Italian  said,  "We  can  not  understand  why 
Nature  has  done  so  much  for  us,  why  she  is  so  bountiful  with  the  harvests. 
We  feel  that  she  has  made  a  mistake." 

The  area  of  the  coastal  plain  is  somewhat  in  excess  of  ten  million  acres. 
If  the  value  of  reforestation  is  duly  appreciated  and  the  forests  protected, 
there  should  be  an  increase  of  at  least  four  million  dollars  per  year  to  the 
value  of  the  forests  from  the  natural  reproduction. 

Can  Nature  do  more  for  us  in  the  way  of  providing  forests?  Why  has  she 
been  so  generous  in  soil  and  climate,  in  abundance  of  moisture?  We  can 
quite  understand  the  Italian's  point  of  view. 

When  we  think  of  the  vast  areas  of  the  earth's  surface  not  adapted  to  re- 
forestation and  others  wliere  the  forests,  once  destroyed,  can  not  possibly  be 
reproduced,  we  ought  to  be  thankful  and  protect  intelligently  what  has  come 
to  us  as  a  gift. 

At  the  moment  we  can  not  feel  proud  of  the  part  man  is  playing.  Because 
of  ignorance  and  natural  aversion  to  effort,  he  sets  fire  to  the  woods  in  order 
to  give  the  benefit  of  the  new  growth  of  almost  worthless  grasses  to  almost 
worthless  cattle,  which  are  enabled  thereby  to  get  a  scanty  living.  He 
ranges  his  hogs  in  the  woods,  when  they  would  prove  far  more  profitable  if 

*  A  forester  would  recommend  leaving  at  least  one  seed  tree  per  acre,  and  preferably  two,  to  make 
the  reforesting  from  seed  quicker  and  more  sure.— Editor. 


36  SECOND    ANNUAL    CONVENTION 

kept  at  home.  From  the  time  the  pine  mast  falls*  until  the  little  tree  is  one 
year  old  it  affords  a  natural  delicacy  for  the  hogs— but  only  a  delicacy,  from 
the  fact  that  a  hog  has  to  cover  so  much  territory  to  live  on  this  scattered 
food  that  he  evolves  into  a  high-speed  brute,  like  Kipling's  "kangaroo." 

The  fires  and  the  hogs  are  enough  to  complete  the  destruction;  but  add  to 
these  a  few  sheep  which  have  the  habit  of  eating  the  conelike  buds  out  of  the' 
tops,  and  the  little  trees,  which  have  escaped  other  enemies,  are  killed. 

Without  being  in  possession  of  any  figures  obtained  by  scientific  investiga- 
tion, it  might  be  safe  to  say  that  one  fire-spreading  man,  with  twenty  hogs, 
twenty  sheep,  and  ten  cows,  will  keep  ten  thousand  acres  devastated. 

Nature  does  not  give  up  the  fight,  however.  She  attacks  the  hogs  with 
cholera,  the  cows  with  tick  fever,  and  the  man  with  poverty;  but  with  what 
terrific  cost  to  civilization! 

Let  me  tell  you  of  one  tract  of  ten  thousand  acres  which  reforested  itself. 
The  seeding  period  was  fifty  years  ago  when  men  were  in  the  war  and  when 
hogs  and  cows  were  scarce.  About  one-half  the  timber  on  this  tract  is  long- 
leaf  pine;  the  other  half  is  shortleaf  pine.  The  reforestation  did  not  cost 
the  owner  one  cent.  As  it  came  easily,  it  was  sold  cheap;  land,  timber  and 
all  for  $27,000.  During  the  past  five  years  this  tract  has  paid  the  owners 
$27,000  in  turpentine  rent;  has  paid  to  the  renter  more  than  $100,000.  I  un- 
derstand, in  the  value  of  the  turpentine.  The  timber  is  worth  at  present 
stumpage  prices  over  $50,000;  and  on  a  good  market  would  be  worth  more 
than  $75,000.  The  sawed  value  of  the  timber  would  probably  be  worth  as 
much  as  $500,000.  As  the  land  alone  is  worth  much  more  than  the  purchase 
price,  we  can  see  that  Nature's  gift  on  this  tract  must  be  considerably  in 
excess  of  $200,000;  or  more  than  $4,000  per  year.  While  this  land  has  proba- 
bly been  fire  swept  during  recent  years,  the  pine  tree  after  it  is  several  years 
old  fortunately  has  a  bark  which  will  stand  fire.  The  fire  retards  its  growth, 
but  does  not  kill  the  tree  after  the  first  few  years. 

A  friend  told  me  of  an  experience  he  had  in  the  pine  belt  where  there  was 
no  stock  law.  He  bought  about  five  hundred  acres  from  which  the  pine  trees 
had  been  cut.  About  six  years  ago  he  fenced  ten  acres  of  it.  Recently  he  visited 
the  place  and  found  all  the  land  outside  of  the  fence  just  as  he  had  left  it 
years  ago.  Inside  of  the  fence  was  a  beautiful  growth  of  longleaf  pine,  not 
less  than  one  hundred  trees  to  the  acre.  This  man  is  naturally  a  strong 
advocate  of  stock  laws  which  will  protect  the  forest. 

In  this  connection  it  is  well  to  consider  the  worthlessness  of  woods  cattle. 
This  was  brought  home  to  me  recently.  Some  parties  joined  in  a  plan  to 
carry  on  a  small  cattle  feeding  and  dairying  experiment,  which  was  to  be 
enlarged  if  it  proved  a  success.  The  manager  was  a  Hollander  who,  while 
he  understands  cows,  was  a  stranger  to  the  cattle  and  methods  of  this  coun- 
try. He  was  struck  with  the  cheapness  of  the  woods  cow  and  thought  he 
could  start  with  these  and  improve  them.  After  feeding  about  forty  head  of 
woods  cattle  until  they  had  about  consumed  their  value  in  feed,  and  after 
going  through  the  trials  of  tick  fever  and  working  with  the  cattle  all  fall 
and  winter,  it  became  perfectly  clear  that  the  wise  thing  to  do  was  to  dis- 
pose of  them  and  start  over  again;  and  the  owners  were  glad  to  sell  the  cows 

*  Nearly  all  of  the  seeds  of  the  longleaf  pine  are  devoured  by  hogs  before  they  have  time  to  germi- 
nate. Those  that  by  some  Iticky  chance  escape,  and  become  seedlings,  are  rooted  out,  even  after  they 
reach  several  years  of  age,  the  succulent  roots  of  the  pine  being  relished  by  the  hog. — Editor. 


NORTH  CAROLIjN^A  FORESTRY  ASSOCIATION  37 

at  their  original  cost  price,  losing  one-half  of  the  capital,  which  had  been 
used  up  in  expenses. 

Do  we  want  forests?  Yes.  Not  only  because  of  their  economic  value  in 
furnishing  fuel,  crossties,  and  material  for  building  and  for  the  manufacture 
of  furniture;  but  because  they  help  to  regulate  the  rainfall  and  conserve  the 
water  supply,  which  is  essential  to  the  prosperity  of  the  agriculturist;  and 
because  the  forests  have  a  favorable  influence  on  the  climate,  making  it  more 
equable  by  protecting  the  country  against  the  sweep  of  cold  winds. 

In  an  article  written  by  W.  J.  McGee,  which  appeared  in  a  recent  issue  of 
the  World's  Work,  it  is  made  clear  that  the  power  of  this  country  to  support 
a  very  large  population,  one  billion,  with  comfort,  is  directly  measurable  by 
the  amount  of  available  water  supply — namely,  the  annual  rainfall  and  that 
stored  under  the  surface  of  the  earth.  He  says:  "The  limit  of  our  capacity 
for  production  and  population  lies  not  in  the  land  or  its  living  forms — both 
susceptible  of  immeasurable  improvement — but  in  the  supply  of  water  on 
which  life  depends;  for  without  water  there  are  no  plants,  no  soils,  no 
animals,  no  men,  no  intelligence  to  control  lower  nature." 

With  the  abundance  of  rainfall  which  we  have  in  North  Carolina,  the  great 
future  of  the  country  undoubtedly  lies  in  the  direction  of  intensive  farming. 
If  it  is  water  and  not  land  which  sets  the  limits  to  population,  and  the  chief 
feature  in  preserving  our  water  supply  is  the  care  of  our  forests,  then  indeed 
we  must  handle  this  problem  without  delay.  Twenty-five  acre-feet  of  water 
per  year  on  five  acres  of  land  will  enable  a  family  of  five  persons  to  support 
themselves  with  comfort  and  contribute  to  the  support  of  an  equal  number 
of  persons  engaged  in  manufacturing  or  other  kinds  of  work.  With  ample 
water,  in  other  words,  five  acres  will  yield  an  easier  living  than  640  acres,  or 
a  square  mile,  on  the  plains;  and  eastern  North  Carolina  will  support  easily 
one  person  per  acre.  In  Holland  there  is  a  section  where  five  hundred  people 
are  comfortably  supported  on  fifty  acres  of  land. 

I  wish  I  had  the  eloquence  to  demonstrate  convincingly  that  because  of  this 
fact  of  abundant  rainfall  we  of  North  Carolina  live  in  one  of  the  most  favored 
spots  on  the  globe;  but  we  are  not  rising  to  the  level  of  our  natural  surround- 
ings. We  are  allowing  generation  after  generation  to  go  by  and  miss  this 
miraculous  opportunity.  It  seems  that  we  must  suffer  by  falling  short  of 
our  birthright.  It  is  common  sense  to  proceed  along  the  lines  of  least  re- 
sistance, and  to  do  the  thing  which  can  be  done  to  greatest  advantage. 

We  have  met  to  consider  ways  of  protecting  the  forests.  It  is  obvious  that 
forest  fires  must  be  avoided,  and  that  ranging  cattle  and  hogs  must  first  be 
stopped. 

The  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture  and  the  State  Department 
make  clear  to  us  the  great  loss  of  profits  to  the  farmer  from  tick  fever  and 
cholera,  which  are  directly  due  to  permitting  scrub  cattle  and  woods  hogs  to 
run  at  large.  This  information  is  interesting;  but  to  be  valuable  we  should 
apply  the  real  remedy,  which  is  the  adoption  of  a  State-wide  stock  law.  If 
some  of  our  farmers  in  certain  sections  are  still  too  ignorant  to  be  alive  to 
their  best  interests,  it  is  the  duty  of  those  who  do  understand  this  to  insist 
that  our  Legislature  shall  take  care  of  this  matter.  A  development  in  one 
progressive  line  assists  every  other,  and  I  think  nothing  will  do  more  to  help 
drainage  projects,  the  building  of  good  roads,  better  education,  better  home 


38  SECOND   ANNUAL    CONVENTION 

comforts,  and  more  profitable  agriculture,  than  the  passage  of  a  stock  law; 
and  these  things  mean  the  development  of  our  country. 

A  State  stock  law,  then,  means  that  a  man  shall  keep  his  cattle,  hogs,  and 
sheep  fenced  in,  instead  of  permitting  them  to  roam  at  pleasure  over  the 
lands  of  other  persons.  If  he  owned  sufficient  land  so  that  his  hogs  and 
cattle  could  range  freely  withoQt  interfering  with  others,  we  would  not  be 
so  much  interested  in  the  problem;  but  even  though  this  man  owned  land 
he  does  not  have  the  rights  over  rainfall  and  climate.  These  are  for  the 
common  good. 

It  is  the  function  of  good  government  to  promote  the  welfare  of  the  gov- 
erned, to  protect  the  weak  against  the  unfair  encroachment  of  the  strong, 
and  to  do  whatever  is  best  for  the  interests  of  the  majority  of  the  people. 

If  forests  are  for  the  general  good,  and  the  protection  of  forests  is  advan- 
tageous to  our  civilization  and  necessary  to  our  comfort,  then  we  are  justified 
in  asking  our  Legislature,  which  should  be  composed  of  intelligent  repre- 
sentatives and  statesmen,  to  make  the  laws  necessary  for  the  protection  of 
the  forests. 

Mr.  MacEae's  paper  was  listened  to  with  profound  attention,  and  was 
received  with  applause.  In  the  discussion  which  followed  Professor 
W.  ]^.  Hutt,  of  the  State  Department  of  Agriculture,  stated  that  an  un- 
intelligent or  "stand-pat"  farmer  had  recommended  to  a  more  progres- 
sive one  the  rearing  of  hogs  in  the  woods,  as  they  could  there  get  their 
own  living.  On  being  asked  what  he  thought  it  cost  per  pound  to  raise 
such  meat,  the  "stand-pat"  farmer  replied  that  he  thought  it  cost  nearly 
nothing.  The  progressive  farmer,  after  showing  the  large  amount  of 
land  that  was  run  over  by  these  hogs  and  the  small  amount  of  pork  that 
was  produced  per  acre  and  per  one  hundred  dollars  invested  in  this 
land,  declared  that  in  his  opinion  range  pork  cost  three  dollars  per 
pound. 

REPORTS  OF  COMMITTEES 

REPORT    or    COMMITTEE    ON    RESOLUTIONS. 

Mr.  C.  P.  Heyward  read  the  report  of  the  Resolutions  Committee, 
which  recommended  the  following  resolutions: 

Resolution  No.  1. 

Whereas,  The  North  Carolina  Geological  and  Economic  Survey  has  been 
commissioned  by  the  Legislature  to  make  investigations  and  recommend  plans 
to  the  people  and  the  Legislature  for  the  improvement  of  the  forest  conditions 
of  the  State;  and. 

Whereas,  The  Survey  has  done  and  is  doing  as  much  as  possible  in  this 
way  with  the  limited  amount  of  money  at  its  disposal:  be  it 

Resolved,  That  the  North  Carolina  Forestry  Association  do  endorse  the 
work  of  the  Survey,  and  do  hereby  show  its  appreciation  of  the  assistance, 
the  Survey  has  given  to  this  Association;  and. 


NORTH  CAROLINA  FORESTRY  ASSOCIATION  39 

Resolved  further,  That  we  hereby  memorialize  the  next  Legislature  to 
liberally  support  this  branch  of  the  work  of  the  North  Carolina  Geological 
and  Economic  Survey. 

Resolution  No.  2. 

Whereas,  The  Weeks  Act  provides  an  appropriation  of  $200,000,  available 
until  exhausted,  to  enable  the  United  States  Government  to  cooperate  with 
States  in  protecting  from  fire  the  forested  watersheds  of  navigable  streams; 
and. 

Whereas,  No  State  can  take  advantage  of  this  offer  of  cooperation  unless  it 
has  some  paid  system  of  forest  fire  protection:  therefore,  be  it 

Resolved,  That  the  North  Carolina  Forestry  Association  urges  upon  the 
people  of  the  State  and  upon  their  Representatives  to  the  General  Assembly 
who  are  to  be  elected  during  the  coming  summer  the  necessity  of  North  Caro- 
lina's passing  legislation  which  will  enable  her  to  receive  this  assistance  from 
the  Federal  Government  for  the  protection  of  her  forests. 

Resolution  No.  3. 

Whereas,  We  realize  that  a  better  understanding  of  the  value  of  our  for- 
ests and  the  need  for  more  conservative  methods  in  handling  them  has  got 
to  begin  with  the  younger  generation:  therefore,  be  it 

Resolved,  That  we  hereby  advocate  the  introduction  into  our  schools  and 
colleges  of  elementary  courses  in  forestry,  which  will  give  the  children  of 
the  State  a  better  appreciation  of  the  worth  of  these  most  valuable  natural 
resources;  and. 

Resolved  further.  That  we  heartily  second  the  efforts  of  the  Federation  of 
Women's  Clubs  to  have  a  forestry  course  introduced  at  our  State  University; 
and. 

Resolved  further,  That  we  heartily  endorse  the  efforts  of  the  North  Carolina 
Geological  and  Economic  Survey  to  make  general  the  observance  of  Arbor 
Day  in  our  public  schools,  and  we  do  hereby  respectfully  request  the  State 
Board  of  Education  to  require  the  annual  observance  of  Arbor  Day  by  the 
schools  of  North  Carolina. 

Resolution  No.  4. 

Whereas,  The  annual  yield  from  the  forests  of  this  State  is  exceeded  only 
by  the  yield  of  cotton  and  corn;  and, 

Whereas,  These  forests  are  being  cut  at  a  much  faster  rate  than  they  are 
producing  timber,  which  will  increase  the  demand  for  our  second  growth 
forests  year  by  year;  and. 

Whereas.  Forest  fires  a,nnually  destroy  not  only  large  amounts  of  merchant- 
able timber,  but  also  immense  areas  of  young  growth  which  ought  to  be  re- 
served for  the  future  use  of  our  citizens:  therefore,  be  it 

Resolved,  That  the  North  Carolina  Forestry  Association  advocates  a  State 
system  of  fire  protection  supported  by  an  appropriation  of  the  Legislature, 
to  be  administered  by  a  technical  and  nonpartisan  organization  for  the  pro- 
tection of  all  the  timber  lands  of  the  State. 

Resolution  No.  5. 

Whereas,  A  virulent  fungus  disease,  known  as  the  Chestnut  Tree  Blight, 
has  already  infected  a  large  portion  of  the  chestnut  region  of  the  New  Eng- 


40  SECOND    ANNUAL    CONVENTION 

land  states,  of  New  York,  New  Jersey,  Pennsylvania,  and  Maryland;  has 
entered  and  gained  a  foothold  in  Delaware,  Virginia,  and  West  Virginia,  and 
threatens  the  destruction  of  this  valuable  timber  tree  in  our  own  State;  and. 

Whereas,  North  Carolina  and  the  other  States  not  yet  reached  by  the  in- 
fection are  justly  entitled  to  every  possible  help  and  protection  which  Con- 
gress and  the  States  themselves  may  be  able  to  employ  in  saving  their  chest- 
nut timber  from  attack:  therefore,  be  it 

Resolved,  That  the  North  Carolina  Forestry  Association  pledges  its  support 
in  arousing  the  public  to  recognize  and  combat  this  disease;  and. 

Resolved  further.  That  this  Association  urges  the  Representatives  of  North 
Carolina  in  Congress  to  support  a  bill  now  pending  before  that  body  appro- 
priating $80,000  for  the  use  of  the  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture, 
to  be  used  in  a  thorough  study  and  investigation  of  this  tree  disease,  with 
the  view  of  devising  ways  and  means  to  combat  its  further  spread,  and  to 
subject  it  to  possible  control. 

Resolved  further,  That  this  Association  bring  this  matter  as  soon  as  possi- 
ble to  the  attention  of  the  next  General  Assembly  of  North  Carolina,  with  a 
view  to  making  an  appropriation,  if  then  found  advisable,  towards  protecting 
this  State  from  this  disease. 

Resolutiox  No.  6. 

Whereas,  The  indiscriminate  ranging  of  stock  through  the  open  lands  of 
both  Eastern  and  Western  North  Carolina  is  a  menace  to  the  perpetuation 
of  the  forests  of  these  regions  through  the  destruction  of  the  seed  and  young 
growth  by  stock,  and  because  many  of  the  forests  fires  indirectly  result  from 
this  ranging:  be  it 

Resolved,  That  the  North  Carolina  Forestry  Association  heartily  favors 
the  extension  of  the  stock  law  to  those  parts  of  the  State  which  are  now  with- 
out this  advantage. 

Resolutiox  No.  7. 

Whereas,  Numerous  fires  are  caused  by  sparks  from  locomotives:  be  it 
Resolved,  That  the  Legislative  Committee  be  instructed  to  prepare  a  bill 
to  be  presented  to  the  next  General  Assembly,  requiring  railroads  to  place 
spark  arresters  on  all  locomotives  within  one  year  after  such  act  is  passed; 
and, 

Resolved  further.  That  this  Association  request  all  civic  clubs  and  similar 
associations  to  hold  meetings  with  this  object  in  view,  and  endeavor  to  pledge 
their  Member  of  the  General  Assembly  to  support  such  bill  when  introduced. 

Resolution  No.  8. 

Whereas,  The  pine  timber  in  many  of  the  counties  of  the  State  has  suffered 
enormous  injury  from  the  attacks  of  the  Southern  pine  beetle,  to  the  serious 
loss  of  the  farmers  and  other  timberland  owners  of  the  State;  and. 

Whereas,  The  United  States  Bureau  of  Entomology  has  studied  this  ques- 
tion thoroughly  and  worked  out  a  method  of  control,  which,  if  carried  out, 
would  free  our  State  from  this  pest,  and  has  advocated  this  plan  both  in  the 
press  and  in  public  meetings  in  this  State:  be  it 

Resolved,  That  the  North  Carolina  Forestry  Association  recognizes  with 
appreciation  the  efforts  of  this  Bureau  to  suppress  this  pest  in  North  Caro- 
lina; and. 


NORTH  CAROLINA  FORESTRY  ASSOCIATION  41 

Resolved  further.  That  this  Association  pledge  its  support  to  the  further 
efforts  of  this  Bureau  and  of  the  North  Carolina  Geological  and  Economic 
Survey,  which  is  cooperating  with  this  Bureau  in  this  work;  and, 

Resolved  further.  That  the  question  of  more  efficient  cooperation  through 
the  Survey  be  brought  to  the  attention  of  the  next  General  Assembly,  with 
the  hope  that  an  appropriation  will  be  made  to  carry  on  this  work  more  gen- 
erally than  they  can  now  do. 

These  resolutions  were  unanimously  adopted  by  the  Convention. 

REPORT  OF  COMMITTEE  ON   NOMINATIONS. 

Miss  Annie  F.  Petty  reported  for  the  Committee  on  ^dominations, 
nominating  the  following  gentlemen  as  officers  for  the  ensuing  year : 
Mr.  E.  B.  Wright,  of  Bladen  County,  for  President ;  Mr.  J.  S.  Holmes, 
of  Chapel  Hill,  for  Secretary-Treasurer.  The  report  of  the  Committee 
on  Nominations  was  then  adopted,  and  Mr.  Wright  was  elected  Presi- 
dent, and  Mr.  Holmes  was  reelected  Secretary-Treasurer. 

The  constitution  which  had  been  drawn  up  and  previously  approved 
by  the  Executive  Committee  was  then  read  by  the  Secretary,  and  was 
formally  adopted  by  the  Association. 

CONSTITUTION  OF  THE  NORTH  CAROLINA  FORESTRY 
ASSOCIATION 

Name:  The  name  of  this  Association  shall  be  the  North  Carolina  Forestry 
Association. 

Object:  The  object  of  this  Association  is  to  promote  the  protection  of  the 
forests  of  North  Carolina  from  fire  and  from  destructive  insects,  and  to  pro- 
mote their  perpetuation  by  wise  use  and  by  the  reforestation  of  cut-over  and 
abandoned  lands. 

Office:  The  official  headquarters  of  this  Association  shall  be  located  and 
maintained  at  the  office  of  the  Secretary. 

Membership:  The  membership  of  this  Association  shall  be  composed  of 
all  who  have  registered  with  the  Secretary  and  all  those  who  may  hereafter 
apply  to  the  Secretary  and  have  their  names  enrolled  as  members. 

Officers:  The  officers  of  this  Association  shall  consist  of  a  President,  a 
maximum  of  thirty-nine  Vice-Presidents,  one  from  each  Senatorial  District 
of  the  State,  and  a  Secretary-Treasurer,  who  shall  hold  their  respective  offices 
for  one  year,  or  until  their  successors  shall  be  duly  elected  and  qualified.  In 
the  absence  of  the  President  or  his  inability  to  perform  the  duties  of  his 
office,  the  Vice-President  for  the  district  in  which  the  meeting  is  held  shall 
act  in  his  stead. 

Executive  Committee:  The  Executive  Committee  shall  consist  of  the  Presi- 
dent, the  Secretary-Treasurer,  and  five  other  members  of  the  Association,  to 
be  named  by  the  President.  At  all  meetings  of  this  committee  three  members 
shall  constitute  a  quorum  for  tjje  transaction  of  business.  ■ 

Duties  of  Officers:  The  President  shall  preside  at  all  meetings  of  the  Asso- 
ciation and  of  the  Executive  Committee,  and  sign  all  orders  on  the  Secretary- 
Treasurer,  and  perform  all  other  necessary  duties  in  furtherance  of  the  pur- 
poses of  this  Association. 


42  SECOND   ANNUAL    CONVENTION 

The  Secretary-Treasurer  shall  keep  the  records,  books,  and  accounts,  shall 
be  the  custodian  of  the  funds  of  the  Association,  and  disburse  the  same  upon 
the  order  of  the  President,  and  perform  the  other  usual  duties  incumbent 
upon  such  office. 

The  Executive  Committee  shall  have  charge  of  the  affairs  of  the  Association 
pertaining  to  its  business,  provide  ways  and  means  for  its  proper  finances, 
and  perform  all  things  necessary  for  the  promotion  of  its  interests. 

Meetings:  The  annual  meeting  of  the  Association  shall  be  held  at  such 
time  and  place  as  may  be  agreed  upon  by  the  Executive  Committee.  Notice 
of  such  meetings  shall  be  mailed  to  each  member  of  the  Association  at  least 
two  weeks  prior  to  the  date  of  meeting.  Special  meetings  may  be  called  by 
the  President  or  by  the  Executive  Committee. 

The  Executive  Committee  shall  hold  its  regular,  stated  meetings  at  such 
times  as  it  may  select,  and  may  adopt  rules  and  regulations  for  the  govern- 
ment of  itself  and  the  business  of  the  Association. 

Notice  of  special  meetings  as  above  provided  for  shall  be  mailed  to  each 
member  of  the  Association  at  his  last  known  post-office  address  at  least  ten 
days  before  the  date  of  such  meeting.  Such  notice  shall  set  forth  the  object 
for  which  such  meeting  is  called. 

Dues:     The  annual  dues  shall  be  one  dollar  a  year. 

Amendments:  These  articles  may  be  amended  at  any  regular  meeting  of 
the  Association  by  a  majority  of  the  votes  cast. 

The  report  of  the  Auditing  Committee  was  made  by  Mr.  D.  A.  White, 
approving  the  Treasurer's  report. 

This  report  of  the  Treasurer,  for  the  year  ending  February  19,  1912, 
shows  a  total  in  receipts  of  $102,  disbursements  $52.25,  leaving  a  balance 
on  hand  of  $49.75.  Twenty-two  subscriptions  of  one  dollar  each  were 
received,  the  remaining  eighty  dollars  having  been  given  in  two  hand- 
some donations  by  the  John  L.  Eoper  Lumber  Company  and  the  Butters 
Lumber  Company.  The  disbursements  were  all  for  stamps  and  station- 
ery. The  above  balance  will,  however,  be  largely  eliminated  by  the 
expenses  of  the  Convention. 

Several  short  talks  were  then  made  by  delegates  and  guests  of  the  Con- 
vention. 

Mr.  H.  M.  Cates,  of  G-raham,  N.  C,  representing  the  ISTorth  Carolina 
Farmers'  Alliance,  said  that  he  had  been  sent  here  to  hear  what  was 
going  on.  "The  farmers,  I  believe,"  he  said,  "are  with  you.  I  don't 
belong  to  your  organization,  but  I  have  got  my  dollar  with  me  and  I  am 
going  to  join.  Our  motto  in  regard  to  the  forests  seems  to  have  been 
'Take  no  thought  for  the  morrow.'  We  have,  however,  got  to  protect 
our  forests  against  the  fires  and  careless  men." 

Mrs.  E.  E.  Cotten,  President  of  the  North  Carolina  Federation  of 
Women's  Clubs,  spoke  of  her  intense  wish  for  the  perpetuity  and  con- 
tinuity of  the  longleaf  pine  forests  of  the  State.     The  women's  clubs  are 


NORTH    CAROLINA    FORESTRY    ASSOCIATION  43 

doing  what  they  can  to  get  forest  preservation  taught  in  the  public 
schools.    The  women  of  the  State  are  with  this  Association  in  this  work. 

Colonel  J.  Bryan  Glrimes  spoke  with  force  and  conviction  on  the 
evidently  increasing  enthusiasm  of  the  people  in  this  matter.  He 
declared  that  if  there  were  one  thousand  farmers  like  Mr.  Gates  in 
North  Carolina  there  would  be  a  revolution  in  the  State  upon  forest 
protection. 

He  called  the  attention  of  the  men  present  to  the  ruthless  destruction 
of  the  trees  and  even  the  lands,  by  the  unintelligent  handling  of  the  tim- 
ber when  gotten  out  by  the  mill  men.  It  destroys  not  only  the  under- 
growth, the  forests  of  tomorrow,  but  hurts  the  lands.  He  spoke  of  the 
trifling  prices  which  timber  had  been  sold  at  in  the  past.  He  asserted 
that  we  need  education  for  our  people  and  protection  for  our  forests. 
We  have  seen  Legislature  after  Legislature  refuse  to  give  laws  for  forest 
protection,  because,  he  said,  the  laws  that  had  been  proposed  did  not 
seem  to  be  what  was  needed  for  the  various  parts  of  the  State.  In  con- 
cluding, Mr.  Grimes  moved  that  the  President  be  requested  to  appoint  a 
Legislative  Committee  to  consult  with  the  Attorney-Gksneral  in  outlin- 
ing a  law  which  will  fill  the  needs  for  forest  protection  for  the  various 
parts  of  the  State. 

This  motion  was  then  put  by  the  President,  and  was  carried  with  en- 
thusiasm. The  following  committee  was  subsequently  named  by  the 
President:  Mr.  Alston  Grimes,  of  Pitt;  Mr.  C.  C.  Smoot,  III,  of 
Wilkes ;  Mr.  G.  C.  Speight,  of  Craven ;  Mr.  Hugh  MacKae,  of  New  Han- 
over ;  Mr.  Thomas  A.  Cox,  of  Jackson. 

Ex-Governor  Thomas  J.  Jarvis  was  then  called  upon  by  the  Presi- 
dent to  say  a  few  words.  He  said  that  he  was  glad  to  be  present;  that  he 
made  it  a  business  to  be  present  when  there  was  anything  for  the  good 
of  North  Carolina  going  on.  He  said  that  this  meeting  reminded  him 
of  the  truism  that  the  value  of  a  gift  is  never  really  appreciated  until  it 
has  slipped  away  from  us.  The  people  of  North  Carolina  ai-e  in  that 
condition.  They  have  seen  their  forest  wealth  swept  away  and  now 
they  are  beginning  to  take  better  care  of  the  remnant.  With  properly 
directed  efforts  the  forests  may  yet  be  preserved.  They  reproduce 
rapidly  and  with  adequate  laws  to  protect  the  forests  the  men  who  are 
now  interested  in  this  work  can  accomplish  this  end.  The  Governor  said 
that  he  had  been  able  to  learn  something  at  this  meeting,  and  that  he 
had  come  out  to  it  as  soon  as  he  heard  of  it.  He  hoped  that  the  Associa- 
tion would  grow  and  increase  in  influence  in  order  to  protect  the  forests 
that  are  left  and  to  secure  others. 

Mr.  D.  A.  White,  of  Mebane,  representing  the  Southern  Furniture 


44  SECOND    ANNUAL    CONVENTION 

Manufacturers'  Association,  said  that  his  Association  wished  to  coope- 
rate with  us  in  every  way  possible.  His  Association,  he  said,  represents 
about  two  hundred  factories,  mostly  in  North  Carolina,  which  are  turn- 
ing out  furniture  and  allied  articles.  Mr.  "White  gave  a  sketch  of 
the  furniture  industry  in  l^orth  Carolina  and  spoke  of  himself  as  the 
father  of  the  chair  industry  in  the  South.  He  was  greatly  interested  in 
seeing  the  forests  preserved  and  pledged  the  cooperation  of  the  South- 
ern Furniture  Manufacturers'  Association  in  the  efforts  of  the  Forestry 
Association  to  protect  and  preserve  the  forests  of  the  State. 

Mr.  Z.  W.  Whitehead,  of  Wilmington,  editor  of  the  Southern  Lumber 
Journal,  spoke  for  the  lumber  fraternity  and  pledged  their  support  in 
this  movement.  Thinking  that  the  lumbermen  as  a  class  had  been 
reflected  upon  in  one  of  the  talks,  Mr.  Whitehead  defended  the  ISTorth 
Carolina  lumbermen  from  the  charge  of  vandalism.  The  average  lum- 
berman, he  said,  is  not  so  ruthless  as  might  be  thought.  He  had  found 
the  sawmill  men  a  great  deal  more  conscientious  than  the  fire  vandal. 
The  State  suffers  very  much  more  from  the  firebug  than  from  the  acts 
of  the  lumberman. 

The  meeting  was  then  adjourned,  notice  being  given  by  the  President 
of  the  illustrated  lecture  of  Mr.  J.  G.  Peters  in  the  Auditorium  at 
eight  o'clock  in  the  evening. 

Evening  Session. 

The  evening  session  of  the  Convention  was  held  in  the  Auditorium. 
In  the  absence  of  the  President,  Mr.  J.  S.  Holmes,  Secretary  of  the 
Association,  introduced  Mr.  J.  G.  Peters,  of  the  United  States  Forest 
Service,  to  an  audience  of  something  over  two  hundred  people,  including 
a  considerable  number  of  school  children. 

Mr.  Peters  then  gave  the  following  short  introductory  address  on  the 
general  principles  of  forestry,  which  was  followed  by  an  illustrated 
lecture : 

GENERAL  PRINCIPLES  OF  FORESTRY. 
By  J.  G.  Peters,  United  States  Forest  Service. 

Members  of  the  North  Carolina  Forestry  Association.  Ladies  and  Gentlemen: 
The  question  is  often  asked,  "What  is  Forestry?"  which  reminds  me  of  an 
incident  that  happened  soon  after  I  arrived  at  New  Haven  to  enter  the  Yale 
Forest  School,  something  over  ten  years  ago.  Those  were  the  early  days, 
and  the  school  had  yet  to  graduate  its  first  class.  Walking  across  the  campus 
I  met  a  friend,  then  in  college,  from  my  home  city,  Baltimore.  He  wanted 
to  know  what  I  was  doing  up  there,  and  I  replied  that  I  was  studying  for- 
estry. "Forestry!"  he  exclaimed;  "Forestry!  for  heaven's  sake,  what's  for- 
estry?"    Although  forestry  is  a  much  commoner  word  now  than  it  was  then. 


NORTH    CAROLINA    FORESTRY    ASSOCIATION  45 

still  there  is  yet  a  generally  vague  idea  of  what  forestry  really  is.  In  its 
broad  meaning,  forestry  is  simply  the  growing  of  trees  for  profit.  Trees  are 
considered  as  a  crop  of  the  soil,  and  the  chief  aim  of  forestry  is  to  grow  as 
much  timber  as  possible  in  the  shortest  period  of  time. 

In  the  practice  of  forestry  a  number  of  fundamental  principles  are  consid- 
ered. The  first  is  that  forests  should  eventually  occupy  only  lands  unsuited 
for  agriculture.  No  forester  will  contend  that  rich  soil,  more  profitable  for 
growing  agricultural  crops,  should  be  grown  to  trees.  There  are  vast  areas 
in  forest  in  the  South  that  are  suited  only  for  the  production  of  timber; 
there  are  vast  areas  now  in  forest  which  will  ultimately  be  used  for  agricul- 
ture; and  also  there  are  areas  of  cleared  land  that  are  better  suited  for  the 
production  of  timber  than  for  agriculture.  Land  should  eventually  be  put 
to  the  use  to  which  it  is  best  suited.  Real  forest  land  should  be  kept  in 
timber;  real  farming  land  eventually  cleared.  But,  so  long  as  any  farming 
land  remains  forested  it  should  be  made  to  produce  the  largest  possible 
amount  of  timber. 

Another  principle  of  forestry  is  that  the  amount  of  timber  cut  from  a  forest 
in  a  given  period  should  not  exceed  the  amount  grown  by  the  forest  in  that 
period;  the  forest  is  producing  capital  from  which  only  the  interest  should 
be  taken.  Considerable  cutting  may  be  necessary  for  the  improvement  of 
the  forest;  many  trees  may  be  removed  to  give  others  a  chance  to  grow,  and 
low  grade  trees  taking  up  valuable  space  may  be  eliminated. 

Perhaps  the  greatest  principle  of  forestry  is  that  the  cutting  should  be 
done  in  such  a  way  that  the  forest  will  reproduce  itself  or,  in  other  words, 
grow  timber  continuously. 

Now,  in  order  to  practice  forestry,  and  this  is  the  point  I  wish  to  emphasize 
in  particular,  we  must  prevent  the  forest  from  burning  up.  Fire  protection 
is  a  large  part  of  the  foundation  on  wliich  the  practice  of  forestry  stands. 
Protection  is  the  first  law  of  forestry.  Obviously  it  is  unwise  to  make  an 
investment  in  the  form  of  conservative  lumbering,  or  planting,  or  the  like, 
if  one  is  not  reasonably  sure  that  fire  will  not  come  along  and  destroy  it.  It 
has  been  estimated  that  the  loss  each  year  from  forest  fires  in  the  United 
States  averages  more  than  10,000,000  acres  burned  over  and  $20,000,000  worth 
of  property  damaged  or  destroyed.  In  North  Carolina  the  average  yearly  loss 
probably  exceeds  a  half  million  dollars. 

I  am  going  to  show  a  number  of  views  which  I  have  selected  for  the  pur- 
pose chiefly  of  illustrating  the  good  results  from  keeping  fire  out  of  the 
forest  as  compared  with  the  great  damage  that  may  come  through  lack  of 
protection.  The  first  set  of  pictures  will  show  virgin  forests  in  North  Caro- 
lina; the  second  set,  the  lumbering  of  the  forest;  third,  the  effects  of  fire 
and  measures  for  prevention;  fourth,  the  effects  of  erosion;  and  lastly,  the 
practical  application  of  the  methods  of  forestry  where  fire  and  erosion  have 
been  prevented. 

About  seventy-five  views,  principally  of  jSTorth  Carolina  (furnislied 
by  the  United  States  Forest  Service),  many  of  them  colored,  were  then 
shown,  and  a  short  explanation  made  of  each  one  by  Mr.  Peters. 

This  is  the  first  illustrated  lecture  that  has  been  given  in  Ealeigh's 
new  Auditorium,  and  so  far  as  the  Association  is  aware,  is  the  first 


46  SECOND    ANNUAL    CONVENTION 

public  illustrated  lecture  on  forestry  given  in  Raleigli.  The  lantern 
used  at  the  lecture  was  kindly  loaned  by  Dr.  Rankin,  of  the  State  Board 
of  Health. 

About  seventy  delegates  were  registered  as  in  attendance  on  the  con- 
vention, representing  nineteen  counties  of  the  State,  besides  two  dele- 
gates from  Virginia.  The  following  bodies  were  represented  by  dele- 
gates : 

North  Carolina  State  Federation  of  "Women's  Clubs,  Southern  Furni- 
ture Manufacturers'  Association,  North  Carolina  Farmers'  Alliance, 
After  School  Club,  North  Carolina  Pine  Association,  Mecklenburg  Pine 
Beetle  Association,  Southern  Pines  Civic  Club,  "Woman's  Clubs  of 
Raleigh  and  Greensboro,  Chambers  of  Commerce  of  Raleigh,  Greens- 
boro, and  New  Bern,  Norfolk  and  "Western  and  Atlantic  Coast  Line 
railroads. 

EXTRACTS  FROM  LETTERS  RELATING  TO  FORESTRY 

The  following  extracts  from  the  letters  of  some  of  those  who  were 
invited  to  attend  the  Convention  are  here  given,  not  only  because  they 
show  the  general  and  growing  interest  in  the  subject  of  forest  protec- 
tion, but  also  because  they  contain  some  valuable  suggestions,  and  con- 
vey words  of  encouragement  and  sympathy. 

Honorable  H.  S.  Graves,  Chief  United  States  Forester,  wrote : 

"I  appreciate  very  much  your  invitation  to  the  annual  meeting  of  the 
North  Carolina  Forestry  Association  on  February  21st.  I  am  awfully  sorry 
that  I  can  not  accept  the  invitation,  because  it  is  going  to  be  impossible  for 
me  to  do  more  than  meet  the  engagements  which  I  already  have  ahead. 

"If  I  were  present  I  should  call  especial  attention  to  the  fact  that  under 
the  present  conditions  the  Southern  States  are  not  able  to  take  advantage  of 
the  offer  of  the  Government  to  aid  in  fire  protection  under  the  Weeks  law.  I 
think  that  this  could  be  used  as  a  very  strong  argument  looking  to  fire  pro- 
tection under  State  direction." 

Dr.  Haven  Metcalf,  Pathologist  in  Charge,  United  States  Bureau  of 
Plant  Industry,  who  was  invited  to  address  the  Convention  on  the 
Chestnut  Bark  Disease,  wrote : 

"Your  letter  of  the  7th  was  duly  received,  and  I  have  given  it  very  careful 
consideration.  I  regret  very  much  that  it  is  impossible  for  me  to  come  my- 
self, or  send  you  a  man  for  the  meeting  of  your  Association,  as  it  seems  nec- 
essary to  have  every  one  at  Harrisburg  who  has  any  knowledge  of  the  disease. 
I  regret  very  much  being  unable  to  be  present  myself,  as  there  is  a  good  deal  to 
be  said  on  the  subject  of  the  chestnut  bark  disease,  and  I  have  little  doubt 
that  it  will  reach  North  Carolina  by  another  year." 

Honorable  "W.  "W.  Finley,  President  of  the  Southern  Railway,  who 
was  invited  to  address  the  convention  on  "The  Close  Relationship  Be- 


NORTH    CAROLINA    FORESTRY    ASSOCIATION  47 

tween  the  State,  the  People,  and  the  Railroads  in  the  Prevention  of 
Forest  Fires,"  and  who  was  prevented  by  sickness  in  his  family,  wrote 
in  part  as  follows: 

"I  am,  as  you  know,  intensely  interested  in  conservative  forestry  and  the 
adoption  of  scientific  methods  of  forest  management  throughout  the  South- 
eastern States.  I  believe  it  is  of  the  utmost  importance  to  our  section  that 
its  forests  should  be  so  managed  as  to  be  a  perpetual  source  of  supply  for 
raw  materials  for  woodworking  industries  of  all  kinds.  I  am  convinced  that, 
with  the  upward  tendency  of  lumber  values,  owners  of  forest  lands  will  find 
it  profitable  to  adopt  conservative  methods. 

"If  a  suitable  opportunity  shall  present  itself  during  the  sessions  of  the 
convention,  I  shall  be  glad  to  have  you  express  my  great  interest  in  the 
whole  subject  and  my  regret  that  circumstances  are  such  that  I  can  not  be 
present." 

A  telegram  was  received  from  the  president  of  the  John  L.  Roper 
Lumber  Company  as  follows : 

"Very  much  regret  enforced  absence  from  Forestry  Convention.  Consider 
your  suggestion  regarding  fence  law  is  of  utmost  importance  to  all  land- 
owners as  well  as  lumbermen.     Wish  you  success. 

(Signed)  "C.  I.  Millard." 

Mr.  F.  W.  Besley,  State  Forester  of  Maryland,  wrote : 

"The  conference  at  Harrisburg  on  February  20-21,  in  regard^  to  the  chestnut 
bark  disease,  which  conference  I  have  agreed  to  attend,  will  not  permit  me 
to  accept  your  very  kind  invitation  to  address  the  North  Carolina  Forestry 
Association  at  its  regular  meeting  in  Raleigh,  February  21st. 

"I  have  often  felt  that  here  in  Maryland  we  are  very  much  isolated  in 
forestry  work,  as  the  States  which  are  showing  the  most  interest  in  forestry 
are  the  Northern  States,  in  which  the  forest  problems  are  quite  different 
from  those  that  exist  here.  It  is,  therefore,  very  gratifying  to  know  that 
North  Carolina  is  taking  up  the  work  so  earnestly,  and  I  hope  that  Virginia 
may  do  likewise  before  long.  This  gives  us  a  certain  bond  of  sympathy  and 
community  of  interests  that  can  not  fully  exist  with  the  Northern  States, 
which  have  problems  so  different  from  those  we  have  in  the  South.  This  will 
be  an  added  disappointment  in  not  being  able  to  meet  with  you  in  the  dis- 
cussion of  the  problems  that  are  of  mutual  interest. 

"I  trust,  however,  that  you  may  have  a  very  interesting  and  profitable  meet- 
ing, and  that  under  the  stimulus  of  the  cooperative  arrangement  of  the 
Weeks  law  that  you  may  develop  a  plan  which  will  be  of  great  benefit  to 
North  Carolina." 

Mr.  L.  T.  jNTichols,  General  Manager  of  the  Carolina  and  ISTorthwest- 
ern  Railway  wrote : 

"I  wish  to  assure  you  that  we  are  heartily  in  sympathy  with  the  work  and 
are  willing  to  cooperate  with  you  in  any  manner  our  limited  resources  will 
permit." 


48  SECOND   ANNUAL    CONVENTION 

But  the  citizens  of  our  own  State  took  no  less  interest  than  those  from 
outside.  A  letter  from  the  Secretary  of  the  State  Board  of  Public 
Charities,  who  is  also  a  prominent  clubw^oman,  is  here  given  in  full 
because  it  gives  a  good  idea  of  what  the  women  of  the  State  have  done, 
are  doing,  and  are  willing  to  do  for  the  cause  of  forestry  education. 

"I  thank  you  for  the  appointment  as  a  delegate  to  the  annual  meeting  at 
Raleigh.     I  shall  take  pleasure  in  attending  the  sessions. 

"You  know  that  the  State  Federation  of  Women's  Clubs  (about  three 
thousand  women)  are  interested  in  the  subject  of  Conservation,  and  that 
there  is  a  Forestry  Committee  in  that  Federation.  This  committee  consists 
of  Mrs.  W.  G.  Smith,  chairman,  Asheville;  Mrs.  T.  P.  Harrison,  President  of 
the  Raleigh  Woman's  Club,  Raleigh;  Miss  Adelaide  Fries,  Winston-Salem; 
Mrs.  W.  J.  Cocke,  Asheville,  and  Mrs.  W.  G.  Rogers,  Charlotte.  Mrs.  W.  J. 
Cocke,  of  Asheville,  is  the  most  interested  and  was  chairman  for  three  years, 
but  we  have  time  limits  in  our  appointments  and  so  she  was  obliged  to  be 
put  on  as  a  member  merely,  and  the  time  limit  took  me  off.  But  we  have  not 
lost  our  interest,  and  Mrs.  Cocke  as  chairman  last  year  tried  to  get  a  Chair 
of  Forestry  established  at  the  University.  I  have  the  very  beautifully  writ- 
ten resolutions  passed  by  the  Federation  in  favor  of  this  chair  and  the  report. 
Mrs.  Cocke  had  letters  from  Governor  Kitchin,  Judge  Clark,  Senator  Simmons, 
Hon.  J.  Y.  Joyner,  Senator  Overman,  Judge  Pritchard,  Hon.  W.  C.  Dowd,  Gov- 
ernor Newland,  and  Dr.  Joseph  Hyde  Pratt,  endorsing  the  movement  for  a 
Chair  of  Forestry.  A  number  of  papers  also  wrote  in  favor  of  it.  and  the 
only  trouble  seemed  to  be  fu7icls  sufficient  for  the  new  departure.  It  is  proba- 
ble that  an  endorsement  by  the  Forestry  Association  of  this  movement  com- 
ing from  the  Federation  would  greatly  help  the  ladies  and  would  serve  as  a 
bond  between  the  working  forces  in  the  two  organizations. 

"Wishing  you  much  success.  (Signed)  Daisy  Dexsox." 

Three  of  our  State  Senators  wrote  as  follows : 

"I  thank  you  very  much  for  the  invitation,  and  if  I  had  not  already  made 
an  engagement  for  that  date,  I  would  most  certainly  be  with  you.  I  am 
greatly  interested  in  the  question  of  forestry,  and  while  I  was  abroad  last 
summer  I  studied  the  modes,  ways  and  means  of  the  great  German  Empire 
and  her  great  forests  and  posted  myself  about  this  great  question  which 
America  must  very  soon  take  up  and  take  up  in  earnest. 

"Trusting  that  your  meeting  will  be  a  success  in  every  way,  I  am, 

"Very  sincerely  yours,  A.  H.  Boyden." 

"I  regret  very  much  that  it  is  impossible  for  me  to  attend  the  Forestry  Con- 
vention which  is  to  meet  in  Raleigh  on  the  21st,  owing  to  court  which  I  can 
not  neglect.  I  thoroughly  and  deeply  sympathize  with  the  movement,  and 
had  hoped  to  be  able  to  contribute  some  of  my  services  to  the  worthy  work 
being  done  in  the  country.     With  highest  regards  and  very  best  wishes,  I  am, 

"Yours  truly,  J.  Frank  Ray." 

"I  hope  you  will  have  a  successful  meeting  which  will  result  in  a  great  deal 
of  good  in  the  protection  of  our  forests.  If  there  is  any  aid  that  I  may  be 
able  in  the  future  to  give  along  this  line  I  will  be  glad  to  do  so. 

"Respectfully,  J.  C.  Fisher." 


NORTH    CAROLINA    FORESTRY    ASSOCIATION  49 

Two  prominent  lawyers  wrote  : 

"I  am  heartily  in  sympathy  with  this  movement,  as  I  can  see  where  great 
good  will  result  to  the  country  by  concerted  action  taken  by  the  Association 
to  check  the  destruction  of  so  much  forest  by  forest  fires  in  this  State. 

(Signed)  George  H.  Smathers." 

"This  is  one  of  the  most  vital  mat'ters  which  affect  the  interest  of  our  peo- 
ple. It  was  only  a  few  nights  ago  that  I  saw  the  forest  fires  in  the  moun- 
tains near  here,  which  was  a  very  sickening  sight. 

"While  I  can  not  be  personally  present  with  you,  you  have  my  sympathy 
and  influence,  whatever  it  may  be,  and  will  try  and  meet  with  you  on  some 
future  occasion.  (Signed)  A.  M.  Frye." 

The  Vice-President  of  the  Southern  Power  Company  wrote: 

"I  regret  very  much  that  I  will  not  be  able  to  attend  the  Forestry  Associa- 
tion meeting  at  Raleigh  on  Wednesday,  the  22d,  as  I  have  to  be  in  New  York 
at  that  time.  I  wish,  however,  every  success  to  the  organization,  and  I  am 
glad  to  note  that  the  people  in  this  section  here  are  taking  a  great  deal  more 
interest  in  this  matter.  (Signed)         W.  S.  Lee." 

And  one  of  the  State's  foremost  educators  wrote : 

"I  appreciate  your  appointment  of  me  as  a  delegate.  I  had  hoped  that  my 
engagements  would  allow  me  to  attend,  but  I  find  to  my  regret  that  it  will  be 
impossible. 

"With  all  good  wishes  for  the  success  of  your  important  work, 

(Signed)  Wm.  Louis  Poteat, 

''President  Wake  Forest  College." 


FOREST  FIRES  IN  NORTH  CAROLINA  DURING  19II 


By  J.  S.  Holmes,  Fokester. 


INTRODUCTION 

During  the  past  three  years  the  State  Geological  and  Economic  Sur- 
vey Las  collected  statistics  on  the  extent  of  the  damage  done  by  forest 
fires  in  North  Carolina.  These  figures  for  1909,  collected  in  cooperation 
with  the  United  States  Forest  Service,  together  with  a  short  study  of 
the  various  kinds  of  injury  done  by  fire,  an  inquiry  into  the  common 
causes  of  fires  and  a  few  suggestions  as  to  the  best  methods  of  prevent- 
ing and  extinguishing  forest  fires  were  published  by  the  Survey  as 
Economic  Paper  No.  19.  The  statistics  for  1910  which  were  collected 
by  the  Survey  alone,  were  published  as  Economic  Paper  22,  "Forest 
Fires  and  Their  Prevention."  This  publication  also  contains  a  review 
of  some  of  the  educational  and  legislative  measures  which  are  calculated 
to  help  reduce  the  fire  risk,  the  State  law  on  the  subject  of  forest  fires 
which  is  now  operative,  as  well  as  three  proposed  laws.  A  limited  num- 
ber of  both  bulletins  are  still  available  for  distribution. 

The  figures  on  forest  fires  for  1911  have  been  gathered  in  the  same 
way  as  in  previous  years,  i.  e.,  from  voluntary  correspondents.  Many 
of  the  earlier  correspondents  have  dropped  out,  while  others  have  been 
added  to  the  list.  The  valuable  assistance  rendered  by  the  North  Caro- 
lina Forestry  Association,  which  furnished  complete  lists  of  correspond- 
ents for  about  one-fourth  of  the  counties  of  the  State,  has  added  consid- 
erably to  the  accuracy  of  the  figures,  though  until  such  lists  can  be 
obtained  for  every  county  no  attempt  at  completeness  can  be  claimed 
for  these  statistics. 

The  object  in  collecting  and  publishing  these  figures  is  not  to  give 
exact  information  on  the  subject,  as  under  present  conditions  that  is 
impossible,  but  to  draw  the  attention  of  the  general  public  to  the  extent 
of  the  damage  done  by  forest  fires,  with  the  hope  of  gradually  bringing 
about  better  conditions. 

THE  WEATHER 

As  the  weather  is  one  of  the  chief  factors  in  the  fire  risk,  a  glance  at 
weather  conditions  during  1911  is  here  given. 

The  United  States  Weather  Bureau  thus  summarizes  conditions  for 
the  past  year : 

"The  year  was  an  exceptional  one  in  temperature  and  precipitation.  A 
number  of  records  were  broken.     The   average  annual  precipitation,   42.68 


52  I'OREST   FIRKS   IN   NORTH   CAROLINA 

inches,  was  less  than  any  previous  record;  a  peculiar  coincidence  in  this 
connection  is  the  fact  that  the  four  driest  years  of  record  have  been  at  in- 
tervals of  seven  years,  viz:  1890,  1897,  1904,  and  1911.  *  *  *  There  was 
a  marked  deficiency  in  precipitation  from  January  to  October  10th,  with  the 
exception  of  a  very  slight  excess  in  April  and  August,  but  it  was  somewhat 
above  normal  during  the  remainder  of  the  year.  During  the  summer  and 
early  fall  the  water  supply  was  affected  in  some  localities,  but  the  distribu- 
tion of  precipitation,  in  slight  showers,  was  generally  sufficient  for  surface 
requirements." 

These  well  distributed  showers  also  served  to  assist  in  keeping  down 
the  damage  done  by  forest  fires,  which,  gauged  by  precipitation  alone, 
should  have  been  more  disastrous  in  1911  than  ever  before.  As  a  matter 
of  fact,  many  counties,  especially  in  eastern  North  Carolina,  did  suffer 
very  seriously,  the  newspapers  reporting  excessive  damage  in  March, 
April,  June,  and  July.  Unfortunately,  figures  from  many  of  the  coun- 
ties which  have  suffered  the  most  in  eastern  North  Carolina  have  not 
been  secured,  so  that  the  statement  for  this  year  is  decidedly  incomplete. 

TABULAR  STATEMENT 

From  the  following  tables  it  will  be  seen  that  the  returns  have  been 
very  incomplete,  only  one-third  of  the  townships  being  reported  on  in 
any  way.  The  remaining  townships  have  no  doubt  men  in  them  who 
would  be  willing  to  assist  in  this  effort  to  educate  the  public  towards 
better  treatment  of  our  forests,  but  they  have  not  offered  to  help  and 
their  names  have  not  been  suggested  by  friends  of  the  movement. 

If  this  is  read  by  any  who  would  be  willing  to  help,  it  is  hoped  that 
they  will  notify  the  Forester,  North  Carolina  Geological  and  Economic 
Survey,  Chapel  Hill,  N.  C,  who  will  be  only  too  glad  to  secure  their 
cooperation  in  the  future. 


FOREST   FIRES   IN   NORTH   CAROLINA 


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2 

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1 

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54 


FOREST   FIRES  IN   NORTH   CAROLINA 


TABLE  2.— FOREST  FIRES  IN  NORTH  CAROLINA  DURING  19n.    SUMMARY  OF 

REPORTS  FROM  CORRESPONDENTS  BY  COUNTIES. 

Mountain  Region. 


County. 

h 

k 

Z  0 

|| 

ft 
1 

"3. 
6 

i 

6 

1 
1 

1 

P 

II 

1 

B 

11 

J 

2 

h 

>  a 

1 

3 

■43 

.a 

bD 

■3 

1 

0 

Allpghany 

8 
15 

7 
13 

6 

5 

9 

2 
1 
3 
5 
5 
2 
1 
4 
3 
2 
3 
14 

10 

101       100 

50 

$      200 

50 

$      200 

$      400 

$      500 

$    50 

Ashe 

0 
2 

1 

300 

500 
30 
50 
40 

500 
120 
75 
60 

200 

400 

1,100 

200 

200 
50 
100 
400 

400 

200 

1,175 

1,000 

2,000 
200 
50 
100 

..1 

Buncombe 

Cherokee 

Clay 

10    1,300 
93   5,800 
2    1.000 

100 
110 
150 

Sl      1 

0 

13 
8 
15 
11 

4 
3 
3 
3 

7 
3 

13 
4 

17 
6 
3 
3 

n 

3,75o!        30 

12o!       150 

1,300 

1,500 

150 

- 

150 

200 

5 

Jaf^ksnn 

3,200 
2,200 
10,450 
300 
10,000 
50 

30 

150 

200 

100 

25L 

50 

16;   13 

9!      5 
12       2 

7,784 

24,590 

3,550 

150 

1,000 

2 

4,200 

200 

5,000 

30 

35,185 

6,175 

510 

100 

Swain ..... 

2,000 

10,000 

4,000 

1,000 

500 
10 

Watauga 

11 

6 

16 

?.  4.'in 

125 

6251      250 

600 

820 

210|.. 

230 

Total 

166 

59 

70 

189  41,100 

10.639 

$36,440 

7,252 

1  $12,380 

$44,680 

$10,410.. 

$1,965 

11 

FOREST   FIRES   IN   NORTH   CAROLINA 


55 


-FOREST  FIRES  IN  NORTH  CAROLINA  DURING  1911.    SUMMARY  OF 
REPORTS  FROM  CORRESPONDENTS  BY  COUNTIES. 
Piedmont  Region. 


9 

"Total  No.  of  Town^ 
ships  in  County 

S 

1 

0 

d 

No.  of  Fires 

Total  area  burnt  over 

|1 

Value  of  Timber 
Destroyed 

Area  of  Young 
Growth    Destroyed, 
in  Acres 

T3 

1 

1 

ii 

Value  of  Improve- 
ments Destroyed 

1    LTves  Lost 

S 

i 
•0 

1 

0  , 

1- 

Alamance 

13 

8 

8 
11 
12 
12 

9 

8 
14 
11 
17 

14 
10 
6 
9 

18 
16 
7 
5 
10 
15 
11 
9 
7 
S 
i 
It 

14 
15 
i 

1 

—-\  ^ 
1 

4       " 

I 

2!      120'          5 

1            1 

1 

$ - 

,.,0. 

$ 

300 

$ 

70 

Alexander 

0'- 1 

'"     ' 

2!      200|        50! 

1      0'            1            ' 

200       100 

„ 

500 

100. _ 

40 

5'  J- r"\_ 1 

6 
4 
10 
1 
6 
*    1 
3 

' 

j'       1          tn         okI 

30         lO'i 

. 

! 

5       4       145 

y     7     190 

1       1           2 

100 
375 

1- 

■200 
1,225 

20' 
50' 

Cleveland 

600 

1,500 

2,000 

200 

5,000  _. 

9}      4       115 
Ij      1       200 

3       1 

6     91    1,585 
3:      2       600 
7'      4       200 

100 

25 

35 

420 

1,000. 
5,050. 

Franklin      

6| 

5I 
2 
4i 

300 

900 

2,100 

525 

100 

500 

100 

500 

1,500 

Iredell                  

4!     10       795 

3i      4       525 

166 
320 

517 
1,000 

360 
310 

1,425 
3,050 

25,800 
200 

j      1,000. 
1,000. 

1        1 

200 

Lee                       

4 
3 
3 

7 

2 

e 

4 

r 

2 
J 
I 
2 
I 
2 

225 

rn 

200 

10 
3 

100 
7S 
IOC 

100 

8!      2           3 
3l      1       500 

■15 

75 

100 
10,000 

42J 

20. 

5 

3       8  10,000 
2;      3          5 

2'      o' 

ZO 

50,. 

2 

1 

51    42   7,500 
31      2   2,000 

500 

50( 

50 

2,000 

3,00 

J 

.       200 

'      ! 

' 

8       5       41C 

1      200 

2,00 

3 

50 

Stanly                          

2       5       30f 
2       1       50C 
13|      9   3, OK 

1      n 

150 



j      555 

300|      15C 

1,025'      2,50 

3       l,000i. 
3 

2,00c 
66C 

.       2,00( 

a: 

Surry                          

1        5C 

5 

1,000;. 
1. 

.       205 

2      0 

1 

! 

si, 

ll      3       15 

) 

10( 
)       10 
)    1,84 

7 

),          50 
)          20 

0 

1           ! 

,1 

17 
1,50 

n          fin 

0' 

25 

I7I     19   2,750       50( 
10       6       100 

)       3,303       3,00 
)^          500 

0       600' 

300 

.       700 

Yadkin 

450'  16l|  1 

79!  249'32,42 

\        \ 

1   4,49 

J   112,997,16,62 

i   $20,325   141,04 

5   $16,1201 

1               I 

.  $2,327 

1 

1 

1 

1 

56 


FOREST   FIRES  IN   NORTH   CAROLINA 


-FOREST  FIRES  IN  NORTH  CAROLINA  DURING  19n.    SUMMARY  OF 
REPORTS  FROM  CORRESPONDENTS  BY  COUNTIES. 
Coastal  Plain  Region. 


County. 

k 

60 
M 

a 
1 

6 

1 
o 

1 
1 

1. 

1 

m 

^1 
§1 

II 

5 

II 

o  J^ 

no 

•HI 

"SP 

1 
i 

1 
1 

s 

■o 

1 

Beaufort 

6 
9 
15 
6 
3 
9 
4 
14 
9 
11 
5 
5 
13 
14 
7 

10 
12 
13 
6 
5 
4 
16 
7 

12 
10 
12 
4 
9 
5 
4 
6 
10 
5 

7 
19 
16 
4 
5 
4 
12 
10 

10 

2 
6 
3 

0 
0 

5 
5 
4 

3 

15 
5 
13 
11 

11,000 

850 

5,400 

8,500 

1,000 

110 

2,700 

5,025 

S  3,000 

300 

5,000 

22,050 

11,000 

325 

6,350 

7,500 

$34,000 

650 

11,150 

10,000 

$  1,000 

500 

5,000 

25,000 

$  5,000 
550 
500 
200 

$  250 

Bertie 

110 

Bladen 

-- 

325 

2 
5 
2 

8 

100 

1,200 

300 

510 

0 
300 
150 

900 
600 

100 
1,200 

1,000 
2,200 

25 

1,350 

1,000 

-- 

1,000 

50 

3,000 

65 

Dare 

0 
2 
1 

2 
0 
7 
3 
1 
3 
9 
1 
4 
0 
8 
0 
4 
3 
2 
2 
1 
2 
6 

7 
4 
1 
0 
2 
4 
4 

._ 

Duplin 

10 

1,500 

600 

1,300 

1,300 

800 

1,300 

500 

150 

Edgecombe 

0 
15 
4 

Gates 

2,000 
1,000 

0 
20 

100 

1,500 
500 

5,000 

2,000 
15,000 

300 

100 

Halifax _. 



8 
8 
0 
2 
8 
1 
6 

3,000 
700 

75 
300 

225 
1.200 

50          200 

1,000 
2,000 

50 

Hartford 

200 

200 

550- 

225 

Hoke-  . 

Hyde- 

2,000 

500 

5,000 

2,150 

100           2.50 

1,100 
575 

1,000 
900 

2,000 

100 

5,000 

500 
3,000 

Johnston 

2,500 
50 
100 

4,890 
100 
300 

1,000 

Jones 

Lenoir 

150 

1,500 

500 

Martin 

Nash 

8 

645 

70 

300 

505 

425 

50 

4 
14 
2 
0 
1 
0 
15 
4 
19 
3 
0 

5,010 
10,000 
5,000 

2,500 
630 
250 

5,000 
800 
500 

10 
3,200 
2,500 

100 
900 
500 

75 
2,000 

50 
475 

110 

350 

200L. 

500 

9,000 

1,500 

4,500 

1 

Perquimans 

Pitt 

2,325 
500 

5,425 
900 

1,120 

3,250 

525 

1,625 

16,700 

500 

4,500 

1,008 

1,200 

750 

Richmond 

5,000;.. 
1,225' 

500 

Robeson 

4,090 
8 

9,160 
16 

3,400 

6,100 

105 

25 

Scotland 

Tyrrell. - - 

2 
3 

2,000 

300 

Wayne. 

Wilson... 

210 

220 

880 

200 

1,200 

1,200 

Total 

?fi4 

112 

119 

199 

86,725 

23,418 

$64,621 

42,190 

S78.2.50 

$90,233 

$21,200 

1 

$6,790 

FOREST   FIRES   IN   NORTH   CAROLINA 

li 


57 


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rt 

Ph 

tf 

w 

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tf 

H 

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g 
tf 

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m 

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!!,<<<< 


58  FOREST   FIRES   IN   NORTH   CAROLINA 

From  the  foregoing  tables  it  is  seen  that  the  number  of  fires  reported 
is  practically  the  same  as  for  the  two  previous  years,  and  most  of  the 
other  figures  correspond  fairly  closely,  showing  that  the  annual  damage 
from  forest  fires  is  not  decreasing  at  any  appreciable  rate.  The  most 
notable  thing  about  these  figures  is  the  reduction  in  the  amount  of  land 
burned  over  by  each  fire,  and,  consequently,  the  large  total  reduction  in 
area  burned  over,  this  being  less  than  one-third  of  what  was  burned  in 
1910. 

The  total  amount  of  damage  done  by  the  fires  that  were  reported  is 
estimated  at  $428,000,  which  is  less  than  the  damage  for  1910,  but  con- 
siderably more  than  that  given  for  1909.  The  average  damage  per  acre 
has  largely  increased,  being  $2.80  for  the  whole  State.  One  reason  for 
this  large  increase  is  that  the  figures  for  1911  include  estimates  of 
damage  done  to  young  growth,  which  were  not  included  in  the  earlier 
figures. 

One  remarkable  thing  about  these  figures  is  the  comparative  uni- 
formity of  the  reports  coming  from  the  different  regions  of  the  State, 
showing  that  they  are  not  the  result  of  exaggerated  ideas  of  a  few  cor- 
respondents, but  represent  the  opinion  of  the  average  citizen  of  North 
Carolina. 

Though  some  sections  of  the  State  were  singularly  free  from  fires 
during  the  past  year,  others  suffered  extreme  injury.  This  is  especially 
true  of  some  of  the  eastern  counties,  several  of  which  have  unfortunately 
failed  to  report.  The  accounts  of  fires,  appearing  in  the  daily  papers 
last  summer,  which  occurred  in  Carteret,  Dare,  Pasquotank,  Perquim- 
ans, Tyrrell  and  other  counties,  none  of  which  are  reported  here,  makes 
one  realize  that  the  figures  given  are  much  below  the  actual  amount, 
and  convinces  one  that  strong  measures  should  be  taken  at  once  to 
reduce  this  enormous  annual  loss. 


FOREST   FIRES   IN   NORTH   CAROLINA 


59 


CAUSES  OF  FOREST  FIRES 

The  principal  causes  of  forest  fires  as  given  by  the  various  corre- 
spondents for  their  own  townships  have  been  compiled.  They  are  given 
in  percentages  in  Table  6,  and  are  compared  with  similar  figures  for 
the  two  preceding  years. 

TABLE  6— CAUSES  OF  FOREST  FIRES  IN  THE  DIFFERENT  REGIONS  OF  NORTH 
CAROLINA  IN  1911  COMPARED  WITH  FORMER  YEARS.  IN  PERCENTAGES. 


Farmers  burning  brush,  grass,  rubbish,  etc 

Hunters ^ 

Cigars,  cigarettes,  matches,  etc 

Carelessness  and  negligence  of  individuals 

Railroad  locomotives,  sparks  from _. 

Logging  locomotives,  dummy  engines,  etc 

Sawmills,  etc — - - 

Traction  engines 

Accidental,  caught  from  burning  buildings,  etc. 

To  improve  the  range 

Set  by  chestnut  gatherers,  root  diggers,  etc 

Without  much  object,  to  see  it  burn,  etc 

Malice  or  incendiary 

Unknown  causes 

Lightning-  - 

Fishing  camp  fires 


Moun- 
tain 


Pied- 
mont 


Coas- 
tal 


The  two  most  notable  facts  that  can  be  gathered  from  the  above  table 
are:  (1)  The  large  proportion  of  fires  which  are  started  from  farmers 
carelessly  burning  brush,  grass,  and  rubbish  in  the  spring;  (2)  the  large 
and  increasing  percentage  of  fires  started  by  railroads. 

As  can  be  seen  by  a  glance  at  the  first  four  items  in  the  table,  fires 
caused  by  carelessness  and  negligence  of  the  individual  constitute  about 
one-half  of  the  total  causes  given.  Practically  all  of  the  fires  under  the 
fourth  heading  should  be  attributed  to  one  of  the  three  former  causes 
and  probably  most  of  them  to  the  carelessness  of  farmers  in  clearing  up 
farm  land  in  the  spring.  It  is  this  carelessness  of  farmers  and  renters, 
assisted  by  the  usual  high  winds  and  frequently  by  dry  weather,  that 
makes  the  spring  months  by  far  the  most  dangerous,  fires  at  this  time  of 
the  year  being  more  frequent  and  much  more  destructive  than  at  any 
other  season. 

The  following  table,  compiled  from  replies  from  the  correspondents 
to  the  question  "In  what  month  or  months  did  the  worst  forest  fires  occur 


60  SUGGESTED    FORESTRY    LEGISLATIO>^ 

(in  1911)  ?"  indicates  pretty  clearly  what  is  the  danger  season  in  North 
Carolina. 

TABLE  7.    RELATIVE  FIRE  RISK  IN  1911,  BY  MONTHS  AND  SEASONS, 
IN  PERCENTAGES. 

March        14 )  June  9  / 

April  27  -  Spring  57  July  10  -  Summer  26 

May  16  )  August         7  ) 

September  7  )  December    2  J 

October       4  -  Fall  14  January    0.5  -  Winter  3 

November  3  )  February  0.5  ) 

The  largest  number  of  fires  attributed  to  any  one  cause  are  laid  to 
sparks  from  railroad  locomotives,  twenty-two  per  cent  being  attributed 
to  this  cause,  an  increase  of  two  per  cent  over  the  year  1910,  and  of  five 
per  cent  over  the  year  1909.  This  increased  proportion  is  still  greater 
if  the  logging  railroads  are  included.  Forty-four  per  cent  of  all  the  fires 
in  the  Coastal  Plain  region  are  attributed  to  locomotives,  while  in  the 
mountain  counties  this  number  is  reduced  one-half.  The  great  increase 
of  the  proportion  of  railroad  fires  may  be  due  rather  to  the  reduction  of 
the  number  of  fires  from  other  causes  than  to  the  actual  increase  in  the 
number  of  fires  from  this  cause.  It  is  evident,  however,  that  the  rail- 
roads are  a  great  menace  to  the  forests  of  the  State,  and  a  determined 
effort  both  on  the  part  of  the  people  and  on  the  part  of  the  railroads 
should  be  made  to  remedy  this  evil.  A  suggested  law  for  the  suppres- 
sion of  forest  fires  which  is  reprinted  from  Economic  Paper  No.  22  is 
given  herewith,  with  the  hope  that  the  intelligent  public  will  study  this 
matter,  and  will  call  the  attention  of  their  next  representatives  in  the 
General  Assembly  to  their  need  of  such  laws.  The  protection  of  the 
forests  from  fire  depends  first  of  all  upon  the  people.  If  they  want  to 
stop  the  frequent  and  destructive  fires,  the  State  Government  will  help 
them ;  that  is  what  it  is  for.  But  they  must  show  in  some  way  that  they 
desire  such  assistance,  and  they  can  do  that  best  by  appealing  to  their 
representatives. 


SUGGESTED  FORESTRY  LEGISLATION 

The  following  chapter  was  prepared  for  and  published  in  Economic 
Paper  JSTo.  22,  "Forest  Fires  and  Their  Prevention."  This  bulletin  has 
been  distributed  so  widely  over  the  State  that  the  original  edition  is 
nearly  exhausted. 

As  the  question  of  Forest  Fire  laws  will  no  doubt  occupy  the  attention 
of  many  people  during  the  coming  political  campaign  and  subsequently, 
it  is  hoped,  of  the  entire  Legislature  also,  it  has  been  thought  best  to 
publish  the  part  of  this  paper  relating  to  present  proposed  forest  fire 
laws  as  a  part  of  Economic  Paper  25  rather  than  reprint  the  whole  of 
Economic  Paper  22,  much  of  which  is  superseded  by  the  report  on  forest 
fires  for  1911  which  is  included  in  this  present  bulletin. 

The  proposed  laws  are  given  not  as  legislation  which  must  be  adopted 
or  rejected  as  a  whole,  but  rather  as  suggestions  to  aid  in  the  formation 
of  public  opinion,  and  possibly  as  a  basis  from  which  to  build  a  much 
needed  law  which  may  be  adapted  to  all  portions  of  our  State.  It  may 
be  said  of  the  railroad  law,  however,  that  it  was  highly  commended  by 
the  Federal  Forest  Service,  and  during  the  session  of  the  last  Legisla- 
ture it  firmly  withstood  the  criticisms  of  the  more  important  railroads 
of  the  State. 

PRESENT  LAWS  RELATING  TO  FORESTRY 

In  1777  the  General  Assembly  of  North  Carolina  passed  a  statute  making  it 
unlawful  for  any  one  to  set  fire  to  the  woods,  except  it  be  his  own  property, 
and  in  that  case  not  without  first  giving  two  days  notice  in  writing  to  ad- 
joining property  owners.  After  one  hundred  and  thirty-four  years  this  law 
still  remains  on  our  statute  books,  the  best  and  practically  the  only  law  we 
have  on  the  subject.     In  its  present  form  in  The  Revisal  of  1905  it  reads: 

Section  3346.  Woods. — If  any  person  shall  set  fire  to  any  woods,  except  it 
be  his  own  property  or,  in  that  case,  without  first  giving  notice  in  writing  to 
all  persons  owning  lands  adjoining  to  the  woodlands  intended  to  be  fired,  at 
least  two  days  before  the  time  of  firing  such  woods,  and  also  taking  effectual 
care  to  extinguish  such  fire  before  it  shall  reach  any  vacant  or  patented  lands 
near  to  or  adjoining  ihe  lands  so  fired,  he  shall,  for  every  such  offense,  for- 
feit and  pay  to  any  person  who  shall  sue  for  the  same,  fifty  dollars,  and  be 
liable  to  any  one  injured  in  an  action,  and  shall  moreover  be  guilty  of  a 
misdemeanor. 

The  law,  therefore,  forbids  setting  fire  to  woods,  even  though  it  be  one's 
own  property,  without  giving  two  days  notice  in  writing  to  adjoining  land- 
owners. This  law  is  rarely  enforced,  because  the  "two  days  notice  in  writ- 
ing" is  considered  an  impractical  measure,  and  also  because  the  strong  objec- 
tion among  most  people  to  prosecuting  their  neighbors  acts  as  a  deterrent. 
One  of  the  most  frequent  causes  of  fire,  that  from  burning  brush  while 
clearing  up  new  grounds  in  the  spring,  is  not  covered  by  this  law,  for  the 
courts  have  held  that  these  "new  ground"  fires  do  not  come  within  the  stat- 


62  SUGGESTED    FORESTRY    LEGISLATION 

ute.  This  law  is  susceptible  of  considerable  improvement  and  should  be 
amended. 

Since  the  great  extension  of  railroad  facilities  all  over  the  State,  the  prac- 
tice of  hauling  farm  crops  and  merchandise  long  distances  to  market, 
which  used  to  be  the  universal  custom,  has  almost  ceased.  In  the  rougher 
and  more  remote  parts  of  the  State,  however,  where  more  than  one  day's 
trip  is  required  to  reach  the  market,  the  abandoned  campfire  is  still  a  menace. 
That  North  Carolina  has  a  law  against  leaving  such  fires  unextinguished  is 
often  not  known  by  wagoners,  and  a  notice  quoting  the  following  section 
posted  near  frequented  camping  places  would  often  be  of  great  advantage  to 
the  passerby,  as  well  as  a  safeguard  to  the  property  owner: 

3347.  Woods,  from  Camp  Fires. — If  any  wagoner  or  other  person  encamp- 
ing in  the  open  air  shall  leave  his  camp  without  totally  extinguishing  the 
camp  fires,  he  shall  be  guilty  of  a  misdemeanor,  and  upon  conviction  thereof, 
shall  be  fined  not  exceeding  fifty  dollars,  or  imprisoned  not  exceeding  thirty 
days. 

These  two  laws,  the  most  important  dating  back  some  one  hundred  and 
thirty  years,  constitute  the  present  working  forest  fire  laws  of  North  Caro- 
lina.    Even  these,  however,  are  rarely  enforced. 

SUGGESTED  LEGISLATION  RELATING  TO  FORESTRY 

As  we  have  previously  seen,  the  largest  number  of  fires  are  due  to  the 
carelessness  or  indifference  of  individuals,  and  to  the  negligence  of  railroads, 
lumbermen,  and  other  operators  of  engines.  In  order  to  successfully  cope 
with  this  situation,  we  need:      (1)  Better  laws  to  control  the  private  citizen; 

(2)  stricter   regulations   controlling  the   railroad   and   other   engine   users; 

(3)  a  system  maintained  by  the  State,  or  the  State  and  counties  together,  to 
properly  enforce  the  forest  fire  laws.  These  three  features  may  be  combined 
in  one  act,  as  was  done  in  the  bill  which  was  introduced  into  the  last  Legis- 
lature, or  they  may  be  passed  as  three  separate  acts,  as  is  here  proposed. 

Fires  Set  by  Private  Individuals. — The  present  law,  which  has  previously 
been  given,  should  be  amended  to  include  grassland,  but  the  two  days  written 
notice  required  should  apply  to  woods  only,  or  should  be  eliminated  alto- 
gether. By  broadening  the  second  section  to  make  it  include  hunters  and 
other  persons,  some  approach  to  controlling  that  fertile  source  of  forest  fires 
would  be  made. 

In  New  Jersey  and  several  other  States  to  the  north  and  west  of  us,  the 
burning  of  woods,  brush,  stumps,  rubbish,  and  other  material  is  not  allowed 
during  a  dry  season,  and  in  some  cases  throughout  the  year,  without  a  written 
permit  from  the  proper  officer.  This  has  been  found  to  work  well  in  pre- 
venting fires,  especially  the  destructive  early  spring  fires.  In  North  Carolina, 
however,  we  are  hardly  ready  for  such  a  law.  A  law  to  compel  all  who  burn 
material  to  watch  it  till  it  is  extinguished  would  seem  to  meet  a  definite  need 
and  would  be  more  easily  enforced. 

The  following  suggested  bill  contains  all  of  the  above  features: 

A  Bill  to  be  Entitled  An  Act  to  Protect  the  Forests  of  This  State  From 
Fire. 

The  General  Assembly  of  North  Carolina  do  enact: 

Section  1.  That  section  three  thousand  three  hundred  and  forty-six  of  The 
Revisal  of  one  thousand  nine  hundred  and  five  be  amended  to  read  as  follows: 


SUGGESTED    FORESTRY    LEGISLATION  -  63 

If  any  person  shall  set  fire  to  any  grassland,  brushland,  or  woodland,  except 
it  be  his  own  property,  or,  in  that  case,  without  first  giving  notice  to  all 
persons  owning  or  in  charge  of  lands  adjoining  to  the  land  intended  to  be 
fired,  and  also  taking  care  to  watch  such  fire  while  burning  and  taking 
effectual  care  to  extinguish  such  fire  before  it  shall  reach  any  lands  near  to  or 
adjoining  the  land  so  fired,  he  shall  for  every  such  offense  be  guilty  of  a  mis- 
demeanor and  be  fined  or  imprisoned  in  the  discretion  of  the  court.  This 
shall  not  prevent  action  for  damages  sustained  by  the  owner  of  any  property. 
Sec.  2.  That  section  three  thousand  three  hundred  and  forty-seven  of  The 
Revisal  of  one  thousand  nine  hundred  and  five  be  amended  to  read  as  follows: 
Any  wagoner,  hunter,  camper  or  other  person  who  shall  leave  a  campfire 
without  fully  extinguishing  it,  or  who  shall  accidentally  or  negligently,  by 
the  use  of  any  torch,  gun,  match  or  other  instrumentality,  or  in  any  manner 
whatever,  start  any  fire  upon  any  grassland,  brushland  or  woodland,  without 
fully  extinguishing  the  same,  shall  be  guilty  of  a  misdemeanor,  and  upon 
conviction  shall  be  punishable  by  a  fine  of  not  less  than  twenty-five  dollars 
nor  more  than  fifty  dollars  or  imprisoned  not  exceeding  thirty  days. 

Sec.  3.  All  persons,  firms  or  corporations  who  shall  burn  any  tar  kiln  or 
pit  of  charcoal  or  set  fire  to  or  burn  any  brush,  grass  or  other  material  where- 
by any  property  may  be  endangered  or  destroyed,  shall  keep  and  maintain  a 
careful  and  competent  watchman  in  charge  of  said  kiln,  pit,  brush  or  other 
material  while  burning.  Any  person,  firm  or  corporation  violating  the  pro- 
'  visions  of  this  section  shall  be  guilty  of  a  misdemeanor. 

Railroad  Fires. — The  railroads  and  lumber  companies,  though  great  offend- 
ers, having  caused  probably  one-third  of  the  fires  in  the  State  in  1910,  are 
also  great  sufferers,  being  generally  held  responsible  for  injury  and  made  to 
pay  damages.  A'  few  of  the  replies  to  the  question  asking  about  prosecutions 
are  here  quoted:  "Railroad  paid  for  several  acres  of  timber";  "Railroad 
compromised,  nothing  done  about  the  rest";  "No;  the  railroad  people  always 
pay  damage";  "The  railroad  has  paid  about  $1,000";  "No;  railroad  company 
paid  about  $2,000";  "The  railroad  company  goes  over  the  ground  and  sees 
how  much  it  burns  over,  and  pays  about  thirty-five  cents  per  acre";  "Set  by 
traction  engine,  and  damage  paid";  "Lumber  company  sued  for  $5,000"; 
"Lumber  company  forced  to  pay  damages";  "Suit  entered  against  one  lumber 
company."  These  prosecutions  are,  of  course,  as  said  before,  brought  under 
the  civil  law,  and  do  not  invoke  the  present  fire  laws.  They  do,  however, 
show  that  it  is  as  much  to  the  interest  of  the  railroads  as  to  that  of  the 
owners  of  woodland  that  fires  should  be  prevented.  Until  there  is  some  gen- 
eral demand,  however,  that  the  railroads  take  necessary  precautions,  they 
prefer  to  drift  along  in  the  old  way,  paying  damages  now  and  then — the 
average  cost  of  which  they  know — rather  than  advocate  new  laws,  which, 
though  they  might  save  them  money,  still  would  cost  them  an  unknown 
amount  to  carry  out.  When  reasonable  laws  are  once  passed  the  railroads 
will  undoubtedly  cooperate  actively  in  their  enforcement,  trusting  thereby  to 
cut  down  their  large  annual  bill  of  damages. 

During  the  last  session  of  the  Legislature  the  following  bill  was  drawn  up, 
after  careful  discussion  and  criticism  of  every  point  by  the  representatives  of 
the  people  and  of  the  railroad  and  lumber  companies.  It  was  at  first  intro- 
duced as  part  of  the  general  forestry  bill,  but  was  later  drawn  up  as  a  sep- 
arate law.  It  is  in  this  form  that  its  passage  by  the  next  Legislature  is 
strongly  urged. 


64  SUGGESTED    FORESTRY    LEGISLATION 

A  Bill  to  be  Entitled  An  Act  to  Require  the  Railroads  of  the  State  to 
Take  Certain  Precautions  for  the  Prevention  of  Forest  Fires. 

The  General  Assembly  of  North  Carolina  do  enact: 

Section  1.  All  persons,  firms  or  corporations  operating  any  railroad,  log- 
ging road  or  tramroad  through  woodland  within  this  State  shall  keep  their 
right  of  way  cleared  of  all  combustible  materials  within  a  horizontal  distance 
of  one  hundred  (100)  feet,  nowhere  to  exceed  one  hundred  and  fifty  (150) 
feet  surface  measurement,  from  the  outer  rail  on  each  side  of  the  track,  by 
burning  or  other  method.  Combustible  material,  as  referred  to  in  this  act, 
shall  be  construed  to  mean  only  such  brush,  grass,  leaves  or  other  material  that 
would  ordinarily  become  ignited  from  a  spark  from  the  engine.  When  the 
right  of  way  owned  does  not  extend  to  the  width  of  the  cleared  space  or  fire 
line  herein  required,  the  right  is  hereby  granted  to  said  persons,  firms  or 
corporations  to  enter  upon  adjoining  lands  not  owned  by  them,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  clearing  off  and  maintaining  the  cleared  space  or  fire  line  herein  re- 
quired. If  any  landowner  should  object  to  the  clearing  off  and  maintenance 
of  the  fire  line  herein  required,  he  shall  not  be  entitled  to  collect  any  dam- 
ages thereafter  occurring  from  fires  caused  by  sparks  from  the  engines  of 
said  persons,  firms  or  corporations.  Each  railroad,  logging  road  or  tramroad 
affected  hereby  shall  be  required  to  clear  off  each  year  not  more  than  one-fifth 
(1-5)  of  the  total  length  of  the  fire  line  required  by  this  section  until  all  has 
been  completed,  and  shall  continue  to  keep  such  fire  line  clear  after  it  has  once 
been  cleared  off.  The  part  of  the  mileage  to  be  cleared  off  by  such  railroad 
shall  be  designated  by  the  Geological  Board  after  conference  with  the  proper 
officer  of  such  railroad,  logging  road  or  tramroad.  Any  railroad  wilfully  vio- 
lating the  provisions  of  this  section  shall  be  liable  to  a  penalty  of  not  less 
than  ten  ($10.00)  dollars  nor  more  than  twenty-five  ($25.00)  dollars  for  every 
mile  or  fraction  thereof  of  fire  line  not  cleared  according  to  the  provisions  of 
this  section:  Provided,  that  this  section  shall  not  be  construed  to  prohibit  or 
prevent  any  railroad  company  from  piling  or  keeping  upon  the  right  of  way, 
crossties  or  other  material  necessary  in  the  operation  or  maintenance  of  such 
railroad  or  materials  intended  for  shipment  over  such  railroad;  nor  is  it  in- 
tended to  require  the  removal  of  buildings,  fences  or  other  necessary  or  valu- 
able improvements  from  the  fire  line  herein  required:  Provided  further, 
that  the  notice  to  the  adjoining  landowners  required  by  section  three  thou- 
sand three  hundred  and  forty-six  of  The  Revisal  of  one  thousand  nine 
hundred  and  five  shall  not  apply  to  any  burning  necessary  to  carry  out 
the  provisions  of  this  section:  Provided,  further,  that  nothing  in  this 
section  shall  be  construed  to  require  the  railroad  company  to  clear  the 
fire  line  on  property  not  owned  by  said  company  should  the  owner  object, 
and  no  failure  on  this  account  shall  be  charged  against  the  railroad  company 
as  a  violation  of  this  act. 

Sec.  2.  When  engineers,  conductors  or  trainmen  employed  by  any  railroad 
discover  that  fences  or  other  material  along  the  right  of  way  or  woodland 
adjacent  to  the  railroad  are  burning  or  in  danger  from  fire,  they  shall  report 
the  same  promptly  at  the  next  telegraph  or  telephone  station  at  which  the 
train  is  scheduled  to  stop,  or  at  any  other  stops  necessary  in  the  operation  of 
the  train.  The  reporting  of  such  fires  shall  not  be  construed  to  mean  that  the 
railroad  companies  making  such  report  are  responsible  for  such  fires,  nor 
shall  such  report  be  used  in  evidence  in  a  suit  arising  from  such  fire,  but  is 
simply  for  the  purpose  of  giving  information  as  to  the  existence  of  a  fire.  In 
seasons  of  drought  the  railroad  companies  shall  give  instructions  to  their 
section  foremen  for  the  prevention  and  prompt  extinguishing  of  fires  origi- 
nating on  their  right  of  way,  and  they  shall  cause  warning  placards,  furnished 
by  the  Geological  Board,  to  be  posted  at  their  stations  in  the  vicinity  of 
forest  lands.  Any  railroad  company  wilfully  violating  the  requirements  of 
this  section  shall  be  guilty  of  a  misdemeanor,  and  railroad  employees  wilfully 
violating  the  requirements  of  this  section  shall  be  guilty  of  a  misdemeanor. 

Sec.  3.  For  the  purpose  of  this  act  woodland  is  taken  to  include  all  forest 
areas,  both  timber  land  and  cut-over  land,  and  all  second  growth  stands  on 
areas  that  have  at  one  time  been  cultivated. 


SUGGESTED    FORESTRY    LEGISLATION  65 

This  law  requires  the  railroads  to  clear  off  a  strip  one  hundred  feet  wide 
on  each  side  of  their  track,  where  it  runs  through  woodland.  It  has  been 
demonstrated  after  careful  study  that  most  of  the  live  sparks  from  railroad 
locomotives  fall  within  the  zone  between  fifty  and  one  hundred  feet  on  each 
side  of  the  track,  and  very  few  fall  beyond  that  distance.  Keeping  this  strip 
clear  would  then  prevent  most  of  the  fires  caused  by  railroads  and  logging 
roads,  which,  as  we  have  seen  above,  constitute  about  one-third  of  the  fires 
in  the  State. 

Fire  Warden  System. — The  most  important  problem  in  the  formulation  of 
forest  laws  is  providing  effective  machinery  for  putting  them  into  force. 
Eighteen  States  have  already  organized  fire  protective  systems,  the  purpose 
of  which  is  to  enforce  the  forest  fire  laws  of  these  States.  Little  or  nothing 
has  been  accomplished  in  States  without  such  systems,  though  several,  like 
our  own,  have  some  excellent  laws.  A  fire  warden  system  generally  consists 
of  district,  township,  or  county  wardens,  who,  as  a  rule,  are  responsible  to 
some  one  State  official,  either  the  State  Forester,  the  State  Forest  Commis- 
sioner, or  State  Fire  Warden,  who  is  specifically  charged  with  fire-protective 
work  and  usually  also  with  the  forestry  work  of  the  State.  It  is  the  duty  of 
the  wardens  to  extinguish  fires,  arrest  offenders  against  the  fire  laws,  investi- 
gate the  causes  of  fires,  post  warning  notices  against  fire,  and  in  some  cases 
to  patrol  the  forests  during  dry  weather.  They  are  paid  by  the  State,  or  by 
the  county,  or  by  the  State  and  county  combined,  usually  by  the  hour  or  day, 
for  the  time  actually  employed.  In  fixing  a  rate  of  payment,  care  is  taken  not 
to  make  it  high  enough  to  tempt  unscrupulous  men  to  set  fire  to  the  woods 
with  the  object  of  drawing  pay  for  extinguishing  it.  This  practice  may,  of 
course,  be  occasionally  resorted  to,  even  where  the  pay  is  not  high,  but  an 
efficient  county  fire  warden  would  soon  discover  the  perpetrators,  or  at  least 
have  his  suspicions  aroused,  and  one  or  two  drastic  sentences,  upon  convic- 
tion, would  put  a  stop  to  the  practice.  There  are  many  counties  in  North 
Carolina  where  fire  wardens  are  not  needed,  but  in  counties  having  fifty  per 
cent  and  over  of  their  area  in  woodland  they  would  quickly  pay  for  their  cost. 
If  only  a  few  counties  were  given  the  advantage  of  such  a  law  to  start  with, 
the  demand  for  fire  wardens  would  rapidly  spread,  as  their  usefulness  became 
apparent.  The  following  bill,  in  a  somewhat  different  form,  was  introduced 
into  the  Legislature  of  1911,  but  failed  to  pass,  chiefly  because  a  special  tax 
of  half  a  cent  per  acre  on  all  woodlands  in  the  State  was  asked,  to  provide 
revenue  for  its  enforcement.  This  method  of  raising  the  necessary  money  is 
perfectly  fair  and  equitable,  but  until  the  system  can  be  inaugurated  and 
tested  in  those  counties  that  most  need  fire  protection,  it  is  thought  that  a 
direct  appropriation  would  be  much  simpler  and  more  practicable. 

A  Bill  to  be  Entitled  An  Act  to  Authorize  the  Appointment  and  Payment 
OF  Forest  Wardens. 

The  General  Assembly  of  North  Carolina  do  enact: 

Section  1.  On  petition  of  four  or  more  owners  of  timber  lands  in  any  one 
township,  owning  in  the  aggregate  five  thousand  acres  or  more,  or  the  owners 
of  one-third  of  the  forest  land  in  the  township,  the  county  commissioners 
shall  appoint,  subject  to  the  approval  of  the  Geological  Board,  a  forest  warden 
for  that  township  and  as  many  deputy  forest  wardens  to  act  with  him  as  the 
Geological  Board  may  deem  necessary  for  the  proper  enforcement  of  this  act. 
All  forest  wardens  and  deputy  forest  wardens  must  be  legal  residents  of  the 
counties  in  which  they  are  employed. 

5 


66  SUGGESTED    FORESTRY    LEGISLATION 

Sec.  2.  Forest  wardens  and  deputy  forest  wardens  shall  have  charge  of 
measures  for  controlling  forest  fires;  they  shall  make  arrests  for  violations 
of  the  forest  laws;  shall  post  along  highways  and  in  other  conspicuous  places 
copies  of  the  forest  fire  laws  and  warnings  against  fires,  which  shall  be  sup- 
plied by  the  Geological  Board;  and  they  shall  perform  such  other  duties  as 
shall  be  considered  necessary  by  the  Geological  Board  for  the  protection  of 
forests.  The  forest  wardens  of  the  township  in  which  a  fire  occurs  shall 
within  ten  days  make  such  report  thereof  to  the  Geological  Board  as  may  be 
prescribed  by  them.  Each  deputy  forest  warden  shall  promptly  report  to 
wardens  any  fire  in  his  district. 

Sec.  3.  Any  person  who  shall  maliciously  or  wilfully  destroy,  deface,  re- 
move or  disfigure  any  sign,  poster  or  warning  notice,  posted  by  order  of  the 
Geological  Board  under  the  provisions  of  this  or  other  act  for  the  purpose  of 
protecting  the  forests  in  this  State  from  fire,  shall  be  guilty  of  a  misde- 
meanor and  upon  conviction  shall  be  punishable  by  a  fine  of  not  less  than  ten 
dollars  or  more  than  fifty  dollars  or  imprisoned  not  exceeding  thirty  days. 

Sec.  4.  Any  person  discovering  any  forest  fire  shall  immediately  give 
notice  to  the  nearest  forest  warden  or  deputy  forest  warden  in  that  or  ad- 
joining townships.  All  ablebodied  male  persons  between  eighteen  and  forty- 
five  years  of  age  can  be  summoned  by  forest  wardens  or  deputy  forest  war- 
dens to  assist  in  extinguishing  forest  fires  and  shall  be  paid  for  such  services 
at  a  rate  not  to  exceed  fifteen  (15)  cents  per  hour.  Any  person  summoned 
by  a  forest  warden  or  his  deputy  and  not  attending,  without  reasonable  ex- 
cuse, shall  be  subject  to  a  fine  of  five  ($5)  dollars. 

Sec.  5.  Forest  wardens  and  deputy  forest  wardens  shall  have  the  same 
power  as  deputy  sheriffs,  so  far  as  the  provisions  of  this  act  are  concerned. 
Neither  forest  wardens  nor  their  deputies  shall  be  liable  for  trespass  while 
acting  in  the  performance  of  their  duties,  nor  shall  any  person  be  held  guilty 
of  trespass  for  going  on  lands  when  summoned  by  an  officer  to  control  fire. 

Sec.  6.  Forest  wardens  and  deputy  forest  wardens  shall  receive  compensa- 
tion from  the  State  at  the  rate  of  twenty  cents  per  hour  for  the  time  actually 
engaged  in  the  performance  of  their  duties  and  reasonable  expenses  for  equip- 
ment and  transportation  incurred  in  fighting  or  extinguishing  any  fire,  ac- 
cording to  an  itemized  statement  to  be  rendered  the  Geological  Board  every 
month  and  approved  by  them.  Forest  wardens  shall  render  to  the  Geological 
Board  a  statement  of  the  services  rendered  by  the  men  employed  by  them  or 
their  deputy  wardens,  as  provided  in  this  act,  within  one  month  of  the  date 
of  service,  which  said  bill  shall  show  in  detail  the  amount  and  character  of 
the  service  performed,  the  exact  duration  thereof,  the  name  of  each  person 
employed,  and  any  other  information  required  by  the  Geological  Board.  If 
said  bill  be  duly  approved,  it  shall  be  paid  by  direction  of  the  Geological 
Board  out  of  the  State  Treasury;  and  the  State  Treasurer  is  hereby  author- 
ized and  required  to  collect  one-half  of  the  wages  and  expenses  incurred  by 
the  forest  wardens  and  deputy  forest  wardens  under  this  section  and  section 
three  (3)  of  this  act,  from  the  county  in  which  they  are  incurred. 

Sec.  7.  The  sum  of  ten  thousand  dollars  annually  is  hereby  appropriated, 
out  of  any  moneys  in  the  treasury  not  otherwise  appropriated,  for  the  purpose 
of  carrying  out  the  provisions  of  this  act,  the  same  to  be  drawn  upon  as 
directed  by  the  Geological  Board. 


PUBLICATIONS 

OF   THE 

NORTH  CAROLINA  GEOLOGICAL  AND  ECONOMIC  SURVEY 


1.  Iron  Ores  of  North  Carolina,  by  Henry  B.  C.  Nitze,  1893.  8°,  239  pp.,  20 
pi.,  and  map.     Out  of  print. 

2.  Building  and  Ornamental  Stones  in  North  Carolina,  by  T.  L.  Watson  and 
F.  B.  Laney  in  collaboration  with  George  P.  Merrill,  1906.  8°,  283  pp.,  32  pi., 
2  figs.      Postage  25  cents.     Cloth-bound  copy  30  cents  extra. 

3.  Gold  Deposits  in  North  Carolina,  by  Henry  B.  C.  Nitze  and  George  B. 
Hanna,  1896.     8°,  196  pp.,  14  pi.,  and  map.     Out  of  print. 

4.  Road  Material  and  Road  Construction  in  North  Carolina,  by  J.  A.  Holmes 
and  William  Cain,  1893.     8°,  88  pp.     Out  of  print. 

5.  The  Forests,  Forest  Lands,  and  Forest  Products  of  Eastern  North  Caro- 
lina, by  W.  W.  Ashe,  1894.     8°,  128  pp.,  5  pi.     Postage  5  cents. 

6.  The  Timber  Trees  of  North  Carolina,  by  Gifford  Pinchot  and  W.  W.  Ashe, 
1897.     8°,  227  pp.,  22  pi.     Postage  10  cents. 

7.  Forest  Fires:  Their  Destructive  Work,  Causes  and  Prevention,  by  W.  W. 
Ashe,  1895.     8°,  66  pp.,  1  pi.     Postage  5  cents. 

8.  Waterpowers  in  North  Carolina,  by  George  F.  Swain,  Joseph  A.  Holmes, 
and  E.  W.  Myers,  1899.     8°,  362  pp.,  16  pi.     Postage  16  cents. 

9.  Monazite  and  Monazite  Deposits  in  North  Carolina,  by  Henry  B.  C.  Nitze, 
1895.     8°,  47  pp.,  5  pi.     Postage  .)  cents. 

10.  Gold  Mining  in  North  Carolina  and  Other  Appalachian  States,  by  Henry 
B.  C.  Nitze  and  A.  J.  Wilkins,  1897.     8°,  164  pp.,  10  pi.     Out  of  print. 

11.  Corundum  and  the  Basic  Magnesium  Rocks  of  Western  North  Carolina, 
by  J.  Volney  Lewis,  1895.     8°,  107  pp.,  6  pi.     Postage  ',  cents. 

12.  History  of  the  Gems  Found  in  North  Carolina,  by  George  Frederick 
Kunz,  1907.  8^  60  pp.,  15  pi.  Postage  S  cents.  Cloth-bound  copy  30  cents 
extra. 

13.  Clay  Deposits  and  Clay  Industries  in  North  Carolina,  by  Heinrich  Ries, 
1897.     8°,  157  pp.,  12  pi.     Postage  10  cents. 

14.  The  Cultivation  of  the  Diamond-back  Terrapin,  by  R.  E.  Coker,  1906. 
8°,  67  pp.,  23  pi.,  2  figs.     Postage  6  cents. 

15.  Experiments  in  Oyster  Culture  in  Pamlico  Sound,  North  Carolina,  by 
Robert  E.  Coker,  1907.     8°,  74  pp.,  17  pi.,  11  figs.     Postage  6  cents. 

16.  Shade  Trees  for  North  Carolina,  by  W.  W.  Ashe,  1908.  8°,  74  pp.,  10  pi., 
16  figs.     Postage  6  cents. 

17.  Terracing  of  Farm  Lands,  by  W.  W.  Ashe,  1908.  8°,  38  pp.,  6  pi.,  2  figs. 
Postage  f,  cents. 

18.  Bibliography  of  North  Carolina  Geology,  Mineralogy  and  Geography, 
with  a  list  of  Maps,  by  Francis  Baker  Laney  and  Katherine  Hill  Wood,  1909. 
8°,  428  pp.     Postage  25  cents.     Cloth-bound  copies  30  cents  extra. 

19.  The  Tin  Deposits  of  the  Carolinas,  by  Joseph  Hyde  Pratt  and  Douglas 
B.  Sterrett,  1905.     8°,  64  pp.,  8  figs.     Postage  'i  cents. 

20.  Waterpowers  of  North  Carolina:  An  Appendix  to  Bulletin  8,  1910.  8°, 
383  pp.     Postage  25  cents. 

21.  The  Gold  Hill  Mining  District  of  North  Carolina,  by  Francis  Baker 
Laney,  1910.     8°,  137  pp.,  23  pi.,  5  figs.     Postage  15  cents. 

22.  A  Report  on  the  Cid  Mining  District,  Davidson  County,  N.  C,  by  J.  E. 
Pogue,  Jr.,  1911.     8°,  144  pp..  22  pi.,  5  figs.     Postage  15  cents. 

23.  Forest  Conditions  in  Western  North  Carolina,  by  J.  S.  Holmes,  1911. 
8°,  115  pp.,  8  pi.    Postage  15  cents. 


68  PUBLICATIONS 

ECOXOMIC   PAPERS. 

1.  The  Maple  Sugar  Industry  in  Western  North  Carolina,  by  W.  W.  Ashe, 
1897.     8°,  34  pp.     Postage  2  cents. 

2.  Recent  Road  Legislation  in  North  Carolina,  by  J.  A.  Holmes.  Out  of 
print. 

3.  Talc  and  Pyrophyllite  Deposits  in  North  Carolina,  by  Joseph  Hyde  Pratt, 
1900.     8°,  29  pp.,  2  maps.     Postage  2  cents. 

4.  The  Mining  Industry  in  North  Carolina  During  1900,  by  Joseph  Hyde 
Pratt,  1901.     8°,  36  pp.,  and  map.     Postage  2  cents. 

Takes  up  in  some  detail  Occurrences  of  Gold,  Silver,  Lead  and  Zinc,  Copper,  Iron,  Manganese,  Cor- 
undum, Granite,  Mica,  Talc,  PjTophyllite,  Graphite,  Kaolin,  Gem  Minerals,  Monazite,  Tungsten, 
Building  Stones,  and  Coal,  in  North  Carolina. 

5.  Road  Laws  of  North  Carolina,  by  J.  A.  Holmes.     Out  of  print. 

6.  The  Mining  Industry  in  North  Carolina  During  1901,  by  Joseph  Hyde 
Pratt,  1902.     8°,  102  pp.     Postage  J,  cents. 

Gives  a  list  of  Minerals  found  in  North  Carolina;  describes  the  Treatment  of  Sulphuret  Gold  Ores, 
giving  Locahties;  takes  up  the  Occurrence  of  Copper  in  the  Virgilina,  Gold  Hill,  and  Ore  Knob  districts; 
gives  Occurrence  and  Uses  of  Corundum;  a  List  of  Garnets,  describing  Locahties;  the  Occurrence, 
Associated  Minerals,  Uses  and  Localities  of  Mica;  the  Occurrence  of  North  Carohna  Feldspar,  with 
Analyses;  an  extended  description  of  North  Carohna  Gems  and  Gem  Minerals;  Occurrences  of  Mon- 
azite, Barytes,  Ocher;  describes  and  gives  Occvtrrences  of  Graphite  and  Coal;  describes  and  gives 
Occurrences  of  Building  Stones,  including  Limestones;  describes  and  gives  Uses  for  the  various  forms 
of  Clay;  and  under  the  head  of  "Other  Economic  Minerals"  describes  and  gives  Occurrences  of 
Chromite,  Asbestos,  and  Zircon. 

7.  Mining  Industry  in  North  Carolina  During  1902,  by  Joseph  Hyde  Pratt, 
1903.     8°,  27  pp.     Postage  2  cents. 

8.  The  Mining  Industry  in  North  Carolina  During  1903,  by  Joseph  Hyde 
Pratt,  1904.     8°,  74  pp.     Postage  Jf  cents. 

Gives  descriptions  of  Mines  worked  for  Gold  in  1903;  descriptions  of  Properties  worked  for  Copper 
during  1903,  together  ^dth  assay  of  ore  from  Twin-Edwards  Mine;  Analyses  of  Limonite  ore  from  Wilson 
Mine;  the  Occvurence  of  Tin;  in  some  detail  the  Occurrences  of  Abrasives;  Occurrences  of  Monazite 
and  Zircon;  Occmrences  and  Varieties  of  Graphite,  giving  Methods  of  Cleaning;  Occurrences  of  Marble 
and  other  forms  of  Limestone;  Analyses  of  Kaolin  from  Barber  Creek,  Jackson  County,  North  Carolina. 

9.  The  Mining  Industry  in  North  Carolina  During  1904.  by  Joseph  Hyde 
Pratt,  1905.     8°,  95  pp.     Postage  //  cents. 

Gives  Mines  Producing  Gold  and  Silver  during  1903  and  1904  and  Sources  of  the  Gold  Produced  during 
1904;  describes  the  mineral  Chromite,  giving  Analyses  of  Selected  Samples  of  Chromite  from  Mines 
in  Yancey  County;  describes  Commercial  Varieties  of  Mica,  giving  the  manner  in  which  it  occurs  in 
North  Carolina,  Percentage  of  Mica  in  the  Dikes,  Methods  of  Mining,  Associated  Minerals,  Locahties, 
Uses;  describes  the  mineral  Barytes,  giving  Method  of  Cleaning  and  Preparing  Barytes  for  Market; 
describes  the  use  of  Monazite  as  used  in  connection  with  the  Preparation  of  the  Bunsen  Burner,  and 
goes  into  the  use  of  Zircon  in  connection  with  the  Nernst  Lamp,  giving  a  List  of  the  Principal  Yttrium 
Minerals;  describes  the  minerals  containing  Corundum  Gems,  Hiddenite  and  Other  Gem  Minerals, 
and  gives  New  Occurrences  of  these  Gems;  describes  the  mineral  Graphite  and  gives  new  Uses  for  same. 

10.  Oyster  Culture  in  North  Carolina,  by  Robert  E.  Coker,  1905.  8°,  39  pp. 
Postage  2  cents. 

11.  The  Mining  Industry  in  North  Carolina  During  1905,  by  Joseph  Hyde 
Pratt,  1906.     8°,  95  pp.    Postage  4  cents. 

Describes  the  mineral  Cobalt  and  the  principal  minerals  that  contain  Cobalt;  Corundum  Localities; 
Monazite  and  Zircon  in  considerable  detail,  giving  Analyses  of  Thorianite;  describes  Tantalum  Mineral 
and  gives  description  of  the  Tantalum  Lamp;  gives  brief  description  of  Peat  Deposits;  the  manufacture 
of  Sand-lime  Brick;  Operations  of  Concentrating  Plant  in  Black  Sand  Investigations;  gives  Laws 
Relating  to  Mines,  Coal  Mines,  Mining,  Mineral  Interest  in  Land,  Phosphate  Rock,  Marl  Beds. 

12.  Investigations  Relative  to  the  Shad  Fisheries  of  North  Carolina,  by  John 
N.  Cobb,  1906.     8°,  74  pp.,  8  maps.     Postage  6  cents. 

13.  Report  of  Committee  on  Fisheries  in  North  Carolina.  Compiled  by 
Joseph  Hyde  Pratt,  1906.     8°,  78  pp.     Postage  J,  cents. 

14.  The  Mining  Industry  in  North  Carolina  During  1906.  by  Joseph  Hyde 
Pratt,  1907.     8°,  144  pp.,  20  pi.,  and  5  figs.     Postage  10  cents. 

Under  the  head  of  "Recent  Changes  in  Gold  Mining  in  North  Carohna,"  gives  methods  of  mining, 
describing  Log  Washers,  Square  Sets,  Cyanide  Plants,  etc.,  and  detailed  descriptions  of  Gold  Deposits 
and  Mines  are  given;  Copper  Deposits  of  Swain  County  are  described;  Mica  Deposits  of  Western  North 
Carolina  are  described,  giving  Distribution  and  General  Character,  General  Geology,  Occurrence, 
Associated  Minerals,  Mining  and  Treatment  of  Mica,  Origin,  together  with  a  description  of  many  of 
the  mines;  Monazite  is  taken  up  in  considerable  detail  as  to  Location  and  Occurrence,  Geology,  includ- 
ing classes  of  Rocks,  Age,  Associations,  Weathering,  method  of  Mining  and  Cleaning,  description  of 
Monazite  in  Original  Matrix. 


PUBLICATIONS  69 

15.  The  Mining  Industry  in  North  Carolina  During  1907,  by  Joseph  Hyde 
Pratt,  1908.     8°,  176  pp.,  13  pi.,  and  4  figs.     Postage  15  cents. 

Takes  up  in  detail  the  Copper  of  the  Gold  Hill  Copper  District;  a  description  of  the  Uses  of  Mona- 
zite  and  its  Associated  Minerals;  descriptions  of  Ruby,  Emerald,  Beryl,  Hiddenite,  and  Amethyst 
Localities;  a  detailed  description  with  Analyses  of  the  Principal  Mineral  Springs  of  North  Carolina; 
a  description  of  the  Peat  Formations  in  North  Carolina,  together  with  a  detailed  account  of  the  Uses 
of  Peat  and  the  Results  of  an  Experiment  Conducted  by  the  United  States  Geological  Survey  on  Peat 
from  Elizabeth  City,  North  Carolina. 

16.  Report  of  Convention  called  by  Governor  R.  B.  Glenn  to  Investigate  the 
Pishing  Industries  in  North  Carolina,  compiled  by  Joseph  Hyde  Pratt,  State 
Geologist,  1908.     8°,  45  pp.     Postage  Jf  cents. 

17.  Proceedings  of  Drainage  Convention  held  at  New  Bern,  North  Carolina, 
September  9,  1908.  Compiled  by  Joseph  Hyde  Pratt,  1908.  8°,  94  pp.  Post- 
age 5  cents. 

18.  Proceedings  of  Second  Annual  Drainage  Convention  held  at  New  Bern, 
North  Carolina,  November  11  and  12,  1909,  compiled  by  Joseph  Hyde  Pratt, 
and  containing  North  Carolina  Drainage  Law,  1909.  8°,  50  pp.  Postage  3 
cents. 

19.  Forest  Fires  in  North  Carolina  During  1909,  by  J.  S.  Holmes,  Forester, 

1910.  8°,  52  pp.,  9  pi.     Postage  5  cents. 

20.  Wood-using  Industries  of  North  Carolina,  by  Roger  E.  Simmons,  under 
the  direction  of  J.  S.  Holmes  and  H.  S.  Sackett,  1910.  8°,  74  pp.,  6  pi.  Post- 
age 7  cents. 

21.  Proceedings  of  the  Third  Annual  Drainage  Convention,  held  under 
Auspices  of  the  North  Carolina  Drainage  Association;  and  the  North  Carolina 
Drainage  Law  (codified).  Compiled  by  Joseph  Hyde  Pratt,  1911.  8°,  67  pp., 
3  pi.     Postage  5  cents. 

22.  Forest  Fires  in  North  Carolina  During  1910,  by  J.  S.  Holmes,  Forester, 

1911.  8°,  48  pp.     Postage  3  cents. 

23.  Mining  Industry  in  North  Carolina  During  1908,  '09,  and  '10,  by  Joseph 
Hyde  Pratt  and  Miss  H.  M.  Berry,  1911.  8°,  134  pp.,  1  pi.,  27  figs.  Postage 
10  cents. 

Gives  report  on  Virgilina  Copper  District  of  North  Carolina  and  Virginia,  by  F.  B.  Laney;  Detailed 
report  on  Mica  Deposits  of  North  Carolina,  by  Douglas  B.  Sterrett;  Detailed  report  on  Monazite,  by 
Douglas  B.  Sterrett;  Reports  on  various  Gem  Minerals,  by  Douglas  B.  Sterrett;  Information  and 
Analyses  concerning  certain  Mineral  Springs;  Extract  from  Chance  Report  of  the  Dan  River  and  Deep 
River  Coal  Fields;  Some  notes  on  the  Peat  Industry,  by  Professor  Charles  A.  Da\'is;  Extract  from 
report  of  Arthur  Keith  on  the  Nantahala  Marble;  Description  of  the  manufacture  of  Sand-Ume  Brick. 

24.  Fishing  Industry  of  North  Carolina,  by  Joseph  Hyde  Pratt,  1911.  8°,  44 
pp.     Postage  5  cents. 

25.  Proceedings  of  Second  Annual  Convention  of  the  North  Carolina  For- 
estry Association,  held  at  Raleigh,  North  Carolina,  February  21,  1912.  Forest 
Fires  in  North  Carolina  During  1911.  Suggested  Forestry  Legislation.  Com- 
piled by  J.  S.  Holmes,  Forester,  1912.     S°,  71  pp.     Postage  6  cents. 

26.  Proceedings  of  Fourth  Annual  Drainage  Convention,  held  at  Elizabeth 
City,  North  Carolina,  November  15  and  16,  1911,  compiled  by  Joseph  Hyde 
Pratt,  State  Geologist,  1912.     8°,   pp.     Postage cents. 

27.  Highway  Work  in  North  Carolina,  containing  a  Statistical  Report  of 
Road  Work  during  1911,  by  Joseph  Hyde  Pratt,  State  Geologist,  and  Miss  H.  M. 
Berry,  1912.     8° pp., figs.     Postage cents. 


Vol.  I.  Corundum  and  the  Basic  Magnesian  Rocks  in  Western  North  Caro- 
lina, by  Joseph  Hyde  Pratt  and  J.  Volney  Lewis,  1905.  8°,  464  pp.,  44  pi., 
35  figs.     Postage  32  cents.     Cloth-hound  copy  30  cents  extra. 

Vol.  II.  Fishes  of  North  Carolina,  by  H.  M.  Smith,  1907.  8°,  453  pp.,  21  pi., 
188  figs.     Postage  30  cents. 

Vol.  III.  The  Coastal  Plain  Deposits  of  North  Carolina,  by  Wm.  Bullock 
Clark,  Benjamin  L.  Miller,  L.  W.  Stephenson,  B.  L.  Johnson,  and  Horatio  N. 
Parker,  1912.     8°,  509  pp.,  62  pi.,  21  figs. 

Pt.  I.— The  Physiography  and  Geology  of  the  Coastal  Plain  of  North  Carolina,  by  Wm.  Bullock 
Clark,  Benjamin  L.  Miller,  and  L.  W.  Stephenson. 

Pt.  II.— The  Water  Resources  of  the  Coastal  Plain  of  North  Carolina,  by  L.  W.  Stephenson 
and  B.  L.  Johnson.    In  Press. 


70 


PUBLICATIONS 


BIENNIAL  REPORTS. 


Holmes,  State  Geologist,  1893.     8' 


First  Biennial  Report,  1891-1892,  J.  A. 
Ill  pp.,  12  pi.,  2  figs.     Postage  6  cents. 

Administrative  report,  giving  Object  and  Organization  of  the  Survey;  Investigations  of  Iron  Ores, 
Building  Stone,  Geological  Work  in  Coastal  Plain  Region,  including  supplies  of  drinking-waters  in 
eastern  counties,  Report  on  Forests  and  Forest  Products,  Coal  and  Marble,  Investigations  of  Diamond 
Drill. 

Biennial  Report,  1893-1894,  J.  A.  Holmes,  State  Geologist,  1894.  8°,  15  pp. 
Postage  1  cent. 

Administrative  report. 

Biennial  Report,  1895-1896,  J.  A.  Holmes,  State  Geologist,  1896.  8°,  17  pp. 
Postage  1  cent. 

Administrative  report. 

Biennial  Report,  1897-1898,  J.  A.  Holmes,  State  Geologist,  1898.  8°,  28  pp. 
Postage  2  cents. 

Administrative  report. 

Biennial  Report,  1899-1900,  J.  A.  Holmes,  State  Geologist,  1900.  8°,  20  pp. 
Postage  2  cents. 

Administrative  report. 

Biennial  Report,  1901-1902,  J.  A.  Holmes,  State  Geologist,  1902.  8°,  15  pp. 
Postage  1  cent. 

Administrative  report. 

Biennial  Report,  1903-1904,  J.  A.  Holmes,  State  Geologist,  1905.  8°,  32  pp. 
Postage  2  cents. 

Administrative  report. 

Biennial  Report,  1905-1906,  Joseph  Hyde  Pratt,  State  Geologist,  1907.  8°, 
60  pp.     Postage  3  cents. 

Administrative  report;  report  on  certain  swamp  lands  belonging  to  the  State,  by  W.  W.  Ashe;  it  also 
gives  certain  magnetic  observations  at.North  Carolina  stations. 

Biennial  Report,  1907-1908,  Joseph  Hyde  Pratt,  State  Geologist,  1908.  8°, 
60  pp.,  2  pi.     Postage  5  cents. 

Administrative  report.  Gives  special  report  on  an  Examination  of  the  Sand-banks  along  the  North 
Carolina  Coast,  by  Jay  F.  Bond,  Forest  Assistant,  United  States  Forest  Service;  certain  magnetic  ob- 
servations at  North  Carolina  stations;  Results  of  an  Investigation  Relating  to  Clam  Cultivation,  by 
Howard  E.  Enders,  of  Purdue  University. 

Biennial  Report,  1909-1910,  Joseph  Hyde  Pratt,  State  Geologist,  1911.  8°, 
152  pp.    Postage  10  cents. 

Administrative  report.  Contains  Agreements  for  Co-operation  in  Statistical  Work,  and  Topo- 
graphical and  Traverse  Mapping  Work  with  the  United  States  Geological  Survey;  Forest  Work  with 
the  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture  (Forest  Service);  List  of  Topographic  maps  of  North 
Carolina  and  counties  partly  or  wholly  topographically  mapped;  description  of  special  Highways  in 
North  Carolina;  suggested  Road  Legislation;  list  of  Drainage  Districts  and  Results  of  Third  Annual 
Drainage  Convention;  Forestry  reports  relating  to  Connolly  Tract,  Buncombe  County;  Transylvania 
County  State  Farm;  certain  Watersheds;  Reforestation  of  Cut-over  and  Abandoned  Farm  Lands; 
on  the  Woodlands  of  the  Salem  Academy  and  College;  Recommendations  for  the  Artificial  Regenera- 
tion of  Longleaf  Pine  at  Pinehurst;  Act  regulating  the  use  of  and  for  the  Protection  of  Meridian  Monu- 
ments and  Standards  of  Measure  at  the  several  county  seats  in  North  Carolina;  list  of  Magnetic  Declin- 
ation at  the  county  seats,  January  1,  1910;  letter  of  Fish  Commissioner  of  the  United  States  Bureau 
of  Fisheries  relating  to  the  conditions  of  the  North  Carolina  fish  industries;  report  of  the  Survey  for  the 
North  Carolina  Fish  Commission  referring  to  dutch  or  pound-net  fishing  in  Albemarle  and  Croatan 
sounds  and  Chowan  River,  by  Gilbert  T.  Rude,  of  the  United  States  Coast  and  Geodetic  Survey;  His- 
torical Sketch  of  the  several  North  Carolina  Geological  Surveys,  with  list  of  publications  of  each. 


Samples  of  any  mineral  found  in  the  State  may  be  sent  to  the  oflSce  of  the 
Geological  and  Economic  Survey  for  identification,  and  the  same  will  be  clas- 
sified free  of  charge.  It  must  be  understood,  however,  that  no  assays,  or 
QUANTITATIVE  DETERMINATIONS,  WILL  BE  MADE.     Samples  should  be  In  a  lump 


PUBLICATIONS  71 

form  if  possible,  and  marked  plainly  on  outside  of  package  with  name  of 
sender,  post-oflBce  address,  etc.;  a  letter  should  accompany  sample  and  stamp 
should  be  enclosed  for  reply. 


These  publications  are  mailed  to  libraries  and  to  individuals  who  may 
desire  information  on  any  of  the  special  subjects  named,  free  of  charge,  except 
that  in  each  case  applicants  for  the  reports  should  forward  the  amount  of 
postage  needed,  as  indicated  above,  for  mailing  the  bulletins  desired,  to  the 
State  Geologist,  Chapel  Hill  N.  C. 


